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Chapter Text

January

Claire loved it when she got to go to work with her dad after school. She loved getting picked up in the cop car, especially when her dad would flash the light in the pick-up line. It wasn’t something that happened often, but she always felt special when it did. 

She especially loved going to the police station without Chris. When they went together all the officers fawned over him, asking him if he was going to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Chris always gave them a noncommittal “Sure, maybe.” He wanted to fly planes. He’d always wanted to fly planes, but Dad still thought he would change his mind and become a cop like him. 

Thankfully they never asked Claire. They just gave her candy and treats, while letting her rattle on about her current interest of the week. That particular week was dinosaurs. 

“Did you know the Stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut?” Claire asked, sitting next to her father’s desk, a book on her lap. 

“Oh did they, now?” Dad asked, with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yeah, scientists think they were the dumbest dinosaur. They should have called them the Dumbosaurus,” Claire said, biting back a giggle. 

Her dad let out an undignified snort, making her giggle harder. “You gotta work on those jokes Claire Bear.” 

She was about to defend her joke, pointing out he had laughed when another officer rushed into the small office. “Redfield got somebody you probably want to check out.”

“I’ll be right there,” he said, already out of his chair. He turned towards Claire, the fun dad of a second ago gone as he pointed a stern finger at her. “You stay right there, got it?” 

“Got it,” Claire said, holding up her book to show she could keep herself occupied. He gave her another look, trying to reinforce the demand before heading out of the office. 

X

Leon hated the police station. He hated the stiff leather couch. He hated the grouchy old man sitting at the counter who scowled at him every few minutes. He hated the fear his dad would be taken away again. 

He wasn’t sure what happened, or why they were there. One moment he was picking him up from school and the next they were getting pulled over words like warrant and reckless driving thrown around before they were put into the police car. 

“Leon!” 

Leon looked up as the door to the waiting room swung open, his mother rushing in. “You okay, sweetie?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Leon said. 

She bent down at eye level with him on the couch. “Good. I have to go talk to some people and then we will be out of here in no time. Can you hang in there just a little bit longer?” 

“Yeah,” Leon nodded. “Is Dad going to have to stay again?” 

“Don’t worry about that,” she said, smoothing out his hair. “That stupid cop’s just singling him out again. We’ll all be home in no time.” 

X 

Claire tried. She really tried to stay put, but she was bored after finishing her book. So she wandered. The police station was an odd building, having previously been an art museum. It was full of weird back halls and shortcuts that Chris had taught her, making it easy to sneak around. She came across a few officers as she went through the library and up the stairs, but they all greeted her like normal, not knowing she wasn’t supposed to be wandering. 

She made her way around the 2nd floor to the waiting room hoping Cindy was working. She always had the best candy for Claire. Unfortunately though, when she opened the door she found Arnold, the most ancient man she’d ever met, older than her grandpa ancient. Her dad told her he used to be a cop back in the day and refused to fully leave it behind. She thought about trying to sneak out before he saw her but stopped when she saw a grumpy-looking boy sitting on one of the couches. He was around her age, but she didn’t recognize him. 

“Hey!” Claire greeted, stepping fully into the room. Both Arnold and the boy looked up at her, Arnold huffing out a small grunt as a greeting but otherwise ignoring her.

“Are you talking to me?” the boy asked, pointing at himself as he looked back at Arnold. 

“Yeah! I don’t see many kids around here. I’m Claire,” she said, walking over to him and holding out her hand, trying her best to remember all the manners her mom tried to teach her.

The boy stared at the hand for a long time, before finally uncrossing his arms and shaking it back, the confused look never quite leaving. “Leon.” 

“Nice to meet you, Leon. Would you like company? It seems boring up here alone with Arnold,” Claire grinned. Arnold muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely like ‘I’m going to tell your father;’ but she didn’t care. She wasn’t scared of him. 

“Uh sure,” Leon said, scooching over some even though he was already sitting in the middle of the couch. 

Claire took a seat next to him, making sure to give him plenty of space. She debated on what to say; her first instinct was general questions like what grade he was in and what school he went to, but she didn’t think that would make him less grumpy. Instead, she went with her old standby, random facts. “Did you know a cheetah could outrun any dinosaur?” 

“What?” 

“If cheetahs and dinosaurs existed at the same time, cheetahs would be able to outrun any of the dinosaurs,” Claire explained. 

Leon cocked his head to the side, seemingly deep in thought. “That doesn’t seem right. Dinosaurs are so big even if they weren’t as fast their strides would be so much longer.” 

“True, but what cheetahs lose in size they more than make up for in speed. That’s what my book said at least,” Claire said, swinging her feet against the couch. Leon nodded but didn’t say anything else to keep the conversation going. “What grade are you in? I don’t think I’ve seen you at school?”

“I’m in 4th grade. I don’t go to Raccoon Elementary. We live on the edge of town so I go to Riverpark Elementary,” Leon said. 

“Hey, I’m in 4th grade too!” Claire said, excitedly. “It sucks you don’t go to Raccoon, but maybe we will be in junior high together. Riverpark feeds into Raccoon Junior High right?” 

“Why do you care?”  Leon asked, looking at her like she’d grown a second head. 

Claire grinned back at him with a small shrug. “It’s always nice to have friends.” 

Shouting out in the hall ruined the moment, her dad’s distinct voice and two others she couldn’t place. Claire couldn’t make out much of what they were saying, but what she could wasn’t pleasant.  Leon slid further down the couch, his arms returning to the folded position.

“Which dinosaurs were the best policemen?” Claire asked suddenly, trying to think of a way to drown out the shouting. 

“What?” 

“Which dinosaurs were the best policemen?” Claire repeated, elbowing him. 

“Which dinosaurs?” Leon asked, finally playing a long, a small quirk to his lips. 

“Tricera-cops!” 

Leon laughed, and Claire felt triumphant, the sound blocking out the adults outside. “Where did dinosaurs buy things?” He asked, surprising Claire with how quickly he jumped in. Tricera-cop had taken her ages. 

“Where?”

“The dino-store,” Leon said, and the pair fell into a pile of giggles. Before she could think of another joke, the door slammed open revealing her father and a couple beside him. Both Leon and Claire were up and at attention immediately.

 “Claire.” Her father didn’t yell her name, but the quiet sternness he used was so much worse. 

“Sorry. I got bored, but I made a friend,” she said pointing to Leon. 

Her father’s scowl hardened as he studied Leon beside her. “Out in the hall. Now.” Claire did as she was told, sparing a small wave for Leon, as his parents moved to his side, the man shooting her a glare. She didn’t understand why all the adults were so angry, but she didn’t push it as she followed her father into the hall. “That kid go to your school?” 

“No, he goes to Riverpark,” Claire said, as they walked back towards his office downstairs. She wasn’t sure why where he went to school mattered. She wasn’t sure of a lot of things right then. 

“Good. Stay away from him. He’s nothing but trouble.” 

Claire looked up at her father confused, but he stared straight ahead. She didn’t know how the boy who made dinosaur jokes with her could be trouble, but she knew better than to argue when he was in a mood like this. 

“Looks like Chris should be out of baseball practice soon,” Dad said, looking at his watch. “I’ll have him come walk you home. You guys can order a pizza.” 

“Okay,” Claire said, looking down at her feet. Usually, when Chris’s baseball practice coincided with their mom’s extra shift at the hospital Dad would buy them sandwiches from the sandwich shop next door, but for once she was okay with going with Chris instead of staying at the station.  

Chapter Text

August 

“You ready for Junior High Claire Bear?” Chris asked, working on the scrambled eggs in front of him. 

“The bacon is burning,” Claire responded from her spot on the island, not wanting to talk about school. 

“Shit.” Chris shifted to the pan next to him, rushing to get the bacon off the pan. 

Claire thought about just watching him flounder; he deserved it but didn’t want burnt bacon and bad eggs for breakfast so she got up to help finish the eggs. “You done being mad at me yet?” Chris asked, elbowing her. 

“No. I just don’t want you ruining breakfast.” 

“Come on Claire, I’m trying here,” Chris pleaded. Claire ignored him, keeping her eyes on the eggs. “You’re going to regret your shitty attitude when my plane explodes.” 

“That’s not funny,” Claire huffed, moving the pan to one of the cold burners. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be.” 

“You kids making breakfast?” The siblings turned to look at their dad walking into the kitchen, already pouring a cup of coffee. “What’s the occasion?” 

“It’s Claire’s first day of school,” Chris snapped. Claire hoped this didn’t turn into an argument. 

Chris leaving made her furious, but at least the house would be quieter without him there. 

“I knew that,” Dad lied before the realization settled in, the pain clear on his face. Chris wasn’t supposed to be making breakfast, Mom was. 

The three of them ate their breakfast in silence. Claire had spent the last year excited for junior high, excited to take a step towards feeling less like a little kid, but this wasn’t how she pictured it. 

She pictured her mom braiding her hair, making her breakfast, and putting a heart-shaped sticky note in her lunch box Claire would pretend to hate. She pictured arguments about her outfit and being forced to stand out on the porch smiling for a never-ending amount of pictures. 

At least Chris remembered breakfast, but she’d taken money from her dad’s wallet for lunch money, and nobody cared about her outfit. There were no first-day-of-school pictures. 

X

Leon sat at the lab table in the back corner of the class, eyeing the spot next to him, hoping somehow there would be an uneven number of students and the spot would remain empty. At least in his other classes, they all got their own desk. He hadn’t anticipated having to share a table. 

He watched the kids flood into the room, most of them picking out the others they knew, so far everybody leaving him alone. Until a girl with a dark auburn ponytail stepped into the room and locked eyes with him. Her face lit up with recognition, but Leon struggled to place her, the memory only catching up to him as she sat down beside him. 

“What do you call a dinosaur that asks a lot of deep questions?” Claire asked, not bothering with greetings or re-introductions, just continuing the conversation like it was a few minutes ago not a few years ago. 

“What’s that?” 

“A Philosiraptor.” 

The pair stared at each other, Claire somehow managing to keep a straight face, though he could tell she was struggling. He wasn’t sure who broke first, but they both burst into laughter.

X 

Claire sat across from Leon at the lunch table, a slice of pizza and a carton of milk on the tray in front of her. Leon had a lunch bag with a ziplock bag of chips and a ham sandwich. They hadn’t discussed eating lunch together, but when they walked in the same direction from science to the lunch room it made sense to walk together, and then it made sense to stay together. 

A group of girls Claire’d been friends with through elementary school tried to wave her over, but she couldn’t find it in herself to interact with them. She’d hoped starting a new school would help her start fresh, help her move on from being the girl with the dead mom she’d been at the end of the previous year. Unfortunately, she hadn’t taken into consideration they were mostly the same kids.

“Sooo did you do anything fun over the summer?” Leon asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. 

“Not really,” Claire said, not wanting to think about her summer. Her summer of mourning, of Chris enlisting and prepping for boot camp, of Dad and Chris yelling at each other nonstop. 

“Me neither,” Leon said. “My uncle works a lot so I mostly had the house to myself. I mostly read a lot of books and watched TV.” 

“Your uncle?” 

“Yeah,” Leon sighed, and Claire knew what came next. She felt awful bringing it up, knowing intimately how much it hurt. “My parents died a couple of years ago.” 

“I'm sorry.” Claire hated she didn't have more to say. You'd think losing a parent meant you knew what to say to other people who'd lost a parent, but instead, it just meant you knew how worthless the words were. “I-I lost my mom last spring.”

Leon looked down at his sandwich, worrying his bottom lip. Claire hoped she hadn't overstepped, messing things up by making it about her, but when he looked back up at her a small smile took over his face as he stuck his hand across the table. “Dead parent clubs?” 

Claire laughed. She hadn't laughed about it yet, hadn't thought it was possible to laugh about it, but god it felt good. She shook his hand. “Dead parent club.”

Chapter Text

August

“So what are we going to do this year since we don’t have a class together?” Leon asked, taking a bite of his ham sandwich. Claire still wasn’t sure how he’d eaten one every day. “I feel like lunch isn’t enough.”

“Agreed, but I don’t know,” Claire replied, taking a bite of a mediocre school lunch chicken nugget.

“We could maybe do something after school? Go to one of our houses?” Leon suggested. 

“Do you think your uncle would mind me coming over?” Claire asked. She hoped to avoid mentioning that she worried about what her dad would do if he came home from work one day to Leon there. The memory of her father dragging her away from the waiting room with a warning burned in her brain. 

Leon seemed to understand her implication; his face fell a little before he shrugged. “I don’t see why not. He’s not home very often, but I don’t think he would mind. He also got the new Nintendo and let me put it in my room so we could play that!”

Leon was fairly sure the console had been stolen, or bought with stolen money. Either way, the thing wasn’t cheap, and Lonnie didn’t have a habit of buying expensive things. Still, though, his suspicion had never been confirmed, and he figured it wouldn’t be doing anybody any good if he refused to play it.

“That sounds fun!” Claire said. “My dad always works Wednesdays, maybe we could do it then? I just have to be home by 7.” 

“Sounds like a plan!” 

X

November

“Don’t die. Don’t die. Don’t die,” Claire taunted putting her hands in front of his eyes. He tried to stay focused on the game, but she made it impossible. It didn’t take long before the inevitable overly cheerful death sound played accompanied by Claire’s giggles. 

Leon groaned, handing her the controller. “You know we’re supposed to be playing this together right?”

“I know, but watching you play is so boring,” Claire said, shooting him a grin as she restarted the level. 

They’d been doing the Wednesday afternoon routine of playing his SNES for a few months and Leon still couldn’t’ believe anybody was voluntarily spending their free time with him, but week after week she showed up outside of school with her bike and a bright smile. If that meant he had to watch her cheat at Super Mario World every week then he would take it. 

“Watch out that pipe has a piranh-and you died.” Leon’s voice trailed off the death sound playing yet again. 

“Dangit, warn me sooner next time,” Claire complained, handing the controller back over. 

“You just watched me play it!” 

“We already established I was way more focused on the sabotage.” 

“Well, then that’s karma for you,” Leon said, starting the level over again. She finally quieted down beside him, letting him play. He got through the beginning of the level flawlessly, shooting her a look as he avoided the piranha plant in the pipe. She stuck her tongue out, but let him keep going. Finally, he reached the end, jumping through the very top of the goalpost. “Hey, you let me finish one!” 

“Figured we should probably make some progress at some point,” Claire said, taking the controller back. She’d just started the next level when Leon’s uncle’s voice carried through the house. 

“Leon?” 

“We’re in here,” Leon called back. 

The door opened up a few seconds later. “Heya Claire, you kids hungry?” 

“Hey Lonnie,” Claire said pausing the game. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand to see it was already 6. “I actually better get going. Don’t want to miss my own dinner!” 

“Alrighty, well see you next week. Leon come help with dinner after Claire leaves.” 

“Will do,” Leon said. Lonnie nodded once before closing the door.  

While Lonnie wasn’t the most affectionate of caregivers, Leon was thankful that he never asked any questions. The first week Claire came over, she offered her first name, careful to avoid her last name, and Lonnie accepted it, not asking anything else, and telling her she was free to stay as long as she wanted. When she showed up the next week he didn’t even say anything, just acknowledging her like she’d always been there. He hated the secrecy. It felt silly that adult grudges had to be their problems, especially now that his parents weren’t even alive to continue the grudge. He wasn’t going to turn away his only friend for it though.  

Claire left the game on, setting the controller on the TV stand and grabbing her backpack. “You’re going to have to finish that for me, but don’t worry I’ll kick your ass next week.”

“Again. Cooperative game,” Leon laughed. 

“Somebody can still be better at it,” Claire argued as they left his room, walking towards the front door. 

“Okay, okay, we get it your the video game goddess.” 

“Yup, and it’s about time I get some respect around here,” Claire said, skipping down his front steps. 

“Whatever,” Leon laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“See you tomorrow, bye Leon!” 

“Bye, Claire!” He watched her put her helmet on and get on the bike, waiting for her to get almost down the block before heading back inside. 

“She knows she can stay for dinner right?” Lonnie asked when Leon joined him in the kitchen. 

“Yeah, she does. Her family’s weird about eating dinner as a family or something like that,” Leon shrugged, the lie well practiced enough now it came off easily. 

“Nobody better be calling me a bad host then,” Lonnie said. 

“Nobody would dare. Plus you provided the entertainment,” Leon said. 

“Damn right I did.” 

 X

When Claire got home she grabbed the mail and stashed her bike in the garage before heading inside. She sorted through the mail while microwaving leftover chili. It was mostly bills or other nonsense that she added to the pile on the table, Dad usually left it until he got mad at it and did them all in one sitting, but at the very bottom of the pile was a letter from Chris. 

Chris spent the first few paragraphs complaining about how cold Alaska was, waxing brutal poetry about how much snow sucked. Halfway down he finally got to a brief update on how he was doing, a hope school is going well, and his miss yous. 

She left the letter on the counter for Dad to read, gathering up her chili, some blank paper, and a pencil and taking them to the table. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but it was difficult fitting everything into a letter, not to mention the things she didn’t want their dad to know. Chris wouldn’t be concerned about his stupid old grudges. 

She hadn’t made it far into the letter when the front door opened, the house filling with Queen before her dad came into the dining room. “Whatcha doing Claire Bear?”

“Working on a response to Chris, there’s a new letter on the counter,” Claire said. 

“Good, it’s been too long,” he said, picking up the paper and joining her at the table. “You got any homework?” 

“Already done,” Claire lied. Any other day of the week she would’ve already done her homework, but on Wednesday she always did it in her room after dinner so he didn’t notice her doing it. 

“Good kid,” he grinned, turning his attention to the letter. “I guess we oughta get him a coat for Christmas.” 

“Or multiple coats, probably some thermal underwear too while we’re at it,” Claire chuckled. 

“You’d think the Air Force would be providing all that.” 

“I’m sure they are. He’s just a bigger baby than most,” Claire teased, though teasing him without him there wasn’t as satisfying, at least she got a snort out of her dad. 

“Let me know when you’re finished and I’ll add to it.” 

“Will do.” 

“How was school?” 

“School was fine. We had a test in English, but I think I did well. How’s work?” 

Dad groaned at the question. “Horrible. That fucker Iron’s is actively trying to make my life miserable. I still can’t believe he got the job over me.” It had been over a year since Iron’s had forced Dad out of the promotion to Police Chief, claiming he was too “distraught” over his wife dying. It was all bullshit. “Also, don’t say fucker.” 

“Fucker,” Claire repeated immediately, earning her a glare. She flashed him a grin before composing herself again. “I am sorry work has sucked.” 

“It is what it is. I just have to live with it until I can pin something on him. I know he’s dirty,” Dad said, a flash of guilt crossed his face at being a little too honest.  “But don’t you worry about it., You just worry about keeping those good grades up.” 

Chapter Text

October

Leon hated Auto Shop Class. He didn't understand how anybody thought high school students dealing with multi-ton machines was a good idea. Sometimes he truly felt like everybody was talking in a different language and he didn't get the memo. The only reason he took the class was because Claire begged him to join her; late last year, Claire’s interest of the month landed on cars and never left.

So, he was in Auto Shop Class, sat next to Claire happily rambling on in that weird foreign language his brain refused to process. Instead, his brain focused on the little grease smudge across her nose. As much as he hated Auto Shop Class, he loved how much she loved the class. She seemed the most like Claire in that room, the grease smudge drawing attention to the freckles it didn’t cover, her eyes bright and animated. She even pulled off the ugly oil-stained coveralls. 

“Leon? Mr. Kennedy?” 

“Huh?” Leon asked, looking from Claire to Mr. Johnson, who was glaring at him with arms crossed. 

“I asked what a spark plug was?” 

“Oh... um... a plug that sparks?” Leon said, wincing as he said the words. Claire snorted beside him, but nobody else seemed amused. 

“Got jokes, huh? Maybe if you paid more attention in class than to Miss Redfield, you’d actually learn something.” 

Leon didn’t think his face could get hotter. He caught a small tint of pink take over Claire’s cheeks before he turned away. The worst part was he probably wasn’t wrong. Leon’s struggle with Auto Shop could 100 percent be because he was busier watching Claire than learning himself. 

X 

Claire found her way across the school lawn to what they dubbed ‘their tree’. They’d sat there for lunch since the first day of school, no longer confined to the depressing lunch room. Leon was already there reading a book, his hair falling into his face. She was thankful that her class was further away from his, meaning she got this view every day. He always seemed peaceful under the tree with his book. 

“Whatcha reading?” Claire asked, plopping down beside him, sitting close so she could lean against the tree.

“Jurassic Park,” he said, holding up the book. “Figured since we watched the movie over the summer, I should read it.” 

“How is it?” 

“Way too much made up science, but overall good." He placed a bookmark and closed the book, trading it out for a ham and cheese sandwich. “Anything exciting happen this morning?”

“Not really, but I decided tonight is the night.” 

“The night for what?” 

“The night I try to convince my dad to let me get a motorcycle.” She’d spent the last few weeks researching, trying to think of the best way to convince him, and she thought she finally had it. 

“You know he’s never going to go for it, right?” Leon asked, the skepticism clear on his face. 

“He’ll say no at first until I hit him with my winning argument.” 

“Okay, lay it on me. What’s this magical argument you have?” He asked, bumping his shoulder into hers.

“My argument is that since he works all the time, I need a mode of transportation that doesn’t involve him.” It was simple, but she’d thought of a rebuttal for every objection.

“What about the bus? Or walking? Or your normal bike? It’s not that big of a town and you’ve been getting along just fine.” 

“Yes, but murders and rapists,” Claire said, holding her finger out as she made her point. The argument was perfect, particularly for her police officer father. 

“That’s your whole argument? Murderers and rapists?” 

“What else do I need?” Claire asked. “I then bring up that since I’ve hit puberty, I’ve become less of a target for some and more of a target for others. It proves my point, and he gets awkward at the word puberty. It’s perfect.” 

“What about accidents and injuries?” 

“I’d have to get a permit which makes me drive a low-power motorcycle, so injuries should be minimum, and at that point, it’s weighing out the options between brain damage or raped and murdered.” 

“So your real tactic is just to say raped and murdered over and over until he gives in?” 

“Pretty much!” 

X

April

Coming home on a Wednesday without Claire was a weird feeling. They’d only spent a few apart in the last two years, but apparently, she had some big secret thing she needed to do. He didn’t fret about it too much, knowing she would tell him soon enough. Even so, it felt weird. 

When he pulled into his driveway on his bike, he was surprised to see both Lonnie's car and an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Lonnie was never home this early, and having company was unheard of. Leon dismounted, stored his bike, and ran into the house. “Lonnie?”

“In here Lee.” 

Leon froze at the voice. Only one person called him Lee. His least favorite person. He followed the voice into the living room, his uncle Larry sitting in Lonnie’s old recliner while Lonnie sat on the couch. Larry was his dad’s oldest brother, and he was the most self-centered, obnoxious person Leon'd ever met. 

“Long time no see. You’ve gotten tall,” Larry said, an over-enthusiastic fake grin plastered on his face. “How’ve ya been Lee?” 

“Oh, you know,” Leon shrugged, moving further into the room, but refusing to take a seat. “Surprised they let your sorry ass out of prison. I thought you had another couple of years.” 

“I’ll have you know I got out on good conduct,” Larry said, something Leon 100 percent didn’t believe. “Or you know, I made some friends in high places.” That Leon believed. 

“Is that right?” Lonnie asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“That’s right. Some friends that are going to help me get revenge on that sorry ass that killed Levi and Trish,” Larry said, his sharp gaze directed at Leon. 

“I don’t see how that benefits anybody,” Leon said, trying to keep his face neutral. Lonnie had expressed a similar sentiment in the past, but never had the resources or drive to pursue it. Leon wasn't sure what he actually did, but given that he kept himself out of prison and never seemed to have more than enough money to get by, Leon figured whatever he did had to be much smaller than whatever his dad and uncle did. 

“Don’t see how that benefits anybody?” Larry asked, the cheerful façade dropping. “Somebody hurts your family, you hurt them back.” 

“Why? That won’t bring my parents back.” 

“It’s not about bringing them back. It’s about pride, about honoring them. Something you better learn quick, Lee ,” Larry snarled. 

“I’ll get right on it,” Leon deadpanned. “I’ll be in my room.” 

X

“Hey Leon, Claire’s here,” Lonnie said, glancing out the kitchen window. 

“Whose Claire?” Larry asked. Leon tensed up at her name in his mouth. Lonnie never asked questions, never pried, but he didn’t trust Larry to do the same. 

Leon ignored the question and headed out the front door. His uncle was out of his mind the second he saw her, wearing the red leather jacket she’d gotten for Christmas, leaning against a motorcycle. She was trying hard to look cool, but couldn't quite keep the giddy smile off her face as he walked towards her. “You got it?”

“I got it!” She said, throwing herself into his arms. Leon clung on to her, all the stress of the evening dissipating with her laughter. 

“You know what this means?” Claire asked, pulling away some, moving her hands from around his neck to rest on his arms. 

“What does it mean?” 

“It means freedom,” Claire said, shaking his arm lightly. “It means getting to go where we want when we want to.”

Leon knew that wasn’t true. She still had to follow the rules her dad set up, and if she didn’t every cop in town knew who she was. He wouldn’t ruin this for her, though, wanting the bright smile to stay on her face forever. “Well, where are we going first?” 

“Ummm... I don’t know,” Claire laughed, her hands moving from his arms down to hold his hands. “We coooulllddd go to the park?” 

“The park sounds great.” 

X 

Claire and Leon sat on one of the picnic tables in the otherwise empty park, their feet planted on the bench seats. “So did the murderers and rapists argument work? You never brought it up, so I figured it went badly.” 

“Like a charm,” Claire grinned, leaning into him. “But I had to take a class and some tests, and actually learn how to ride a motorcycle. It was killing me not telling you, but I wanted to surprise you.”

“Color me surprised,” Leon said, nudging back into her. 

Claire linked her arm through his. “Did I look cool?” She asked, turning to hide her smile on his shoulder, suddenly self-conscious. She’d had the whole thing planned out for months, and while she had executed it perfectly, she wondered if all the fanfare was necessary.  

“ Very cool.”  

“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him, biting her bottom lip to contain her smile.

“Yeah,” Leon grinned. 

Claire turned her head back towards the park, keeping it against his shoulder, a peaceful quiet setting over them as they watched the sunset over the playground equipment. It wasn’t the best of settings, but the town had little to offer. At least it was empty. 

“Where does your dad think you are right now?”

“Amanda’s house,” Claire said. She didn’t have many friends outside of Leon, but the few she had were at least good scapegoats for when she was with him. 

“Makes sense. Do you have any fancy rules you have to follow now?” 

“Since it’s a permit and not a license, I’m not supposed to have a passenger or drive at night, but that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Leon pulled away to gawk at her. “Day One and you’ve already broken all the rules?”

“Technically, I’ve not broken the nighttime thing yet,” Claire said, the last remnants of daylight still clinging on. 

“Yet, I’m the troublemaker,” Leon laughed.

Chapter Text

October

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Claire said, half dragging him to the movie theater. The local theater was doing a special showing of Night of the Living Dead. 

“Oh no, late to a movie you’ve seen a dozen times.” Leon wasn’t sure how he’d been dragged into seeing this movie again .

“But I’ve never seen it in theaters,” Claire pouted. Oh yeah, that was how she convinced him.

“Claire, it’s in black and white,” Leon complained. 

“So?” 

“It came out in the late 60s, they had color in the 60s.” 

Claire stopped in her tracks, turning towards him and taking both of his hands in hers. He expected her to give the spiel about how Romero thought black and white suited the movie better, how horror looked more realistic and creepy in black and white; the argument she’d been making all week. Instead, she looked up at him with her big blue eyes, the pout still firmly in place. “Come on, Leon, you already said you’d go. It will be fun.” 

“I’m not actually backing out.” Like he could say no to her. 

“I know,” she said, a smile taking over her pout.

“Why are we taking a detour, then? Aren’t we running late?” Not that he didn’t want to stand there holding her hands, but he worried the longer they stood there, the more likely he was to do something stupid. 

“Right! Dammit.” Claire resumed dragging him towards the theater. 

X

“You know, I think I could take a zombie,” Claire whispered, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

“I thought we were here to see a movie, not talk,” Leon whispered back. 

“I’ve seen it before.”

“Are you kidding me?” He hissed, trying to contain the flash of frustration that shot through him. Weeks of hyping up this night just to pull an ‘ I’ve seen it before’. 

Claire shrugged, biting back a grin. “So?” 

“So, what?” 

“Do you think I could take a zombie?” 

Leon considered it as he watched the scene in front of him. Claire definitely wouldn’t be a damsel in distress, but it was impossible to picture anybody taking on a horde of zombies. Though she said a zombie. “Sure. I think you could take a zombie.” 

“You don’t seem super confident about that answer,” Claire said, side-eyeing him. 

Leon rolled his eyes and leaned in close, his lips almost touching her ear. “Watch the damn movie.”

Claire looked up at him, their faces impossibly close; whatever rebuttal she had dying on her lips. Leon knew he should pull away, relax back into his seat, and watch the rest of the movie, but he was stuck in place; the hitch in her breath giving him the bit of courage to stay put. He wasn’t sure what to do next. He wanted to do the stupid thing. The thing that had grown harder and harder to not do, but anxiety kept him from crossing the line. A line they teased plenty but never crossed. 

Leon decided it could wait. They didn’t need to rush it. He started to relax and pull away, but when he did Claire panicked and followed him, pressing her lips hesitantly to his. She pulled away as quickly as her lips had touched his, her eyes wide. “I’m so so-” Leon kissed her; for real this time, not just a tentative toe in the water. It was still clunky, their noses bumped, and he didn’t know what to do with his hands; one on her cheek and the other braced on the arm of the chair. 

His heart pounded in his chest when he pulled away, the two of them breathing hard, a dreamy smile playing at Claire’s lips. It was perfect. Claire opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, then opened it again. Huffing, she collapsed back into her chair. Leon had no idea what to make of that until she slipped her hand into his. 

Claire Redfield was speechless. 

He didn’t even know that was possible.  

She glanced at him, and he smiled back, squeezing her hand. 

X

Claire spent the rest of the movie thinking about the kiss. What did it mean? How did they move forward? Did this change things? Or were they the same except they could kiss now? She wasn’t sure, and not being able to talk about it was killing her. 

However, when the movie ended, and they walked out hand in hand, her words dried up in her throat. She didn’t know how to voice her questions; she wasn’t used to not being comfortable with Leon. Claire should’ve seen it coming, the slow progression from friendship to crush to whatever this was, but she hadn’t expected it to happen that night. 

“Sooo....” Leon said as they made it to her bike. 

“So,” Claire repeated, looking up at him. He looked insanely handsome under the faint illumination from the streetlight and the moon; his hair falling into his face. She wanted to kiss him; then she realized she could kiss him. Putting a hand on his arm, she stood on her toes, another gentle press of lips, but an actual kiss this time. 

“I... I like doing that,” Leon said. 

“Me too,” Claire grinned, pulling him by the front of his jacket to pull him down for a better kiss, feeling more courageous this time. His arms went around her waist, and while she kept his jacket clutched in one hand, the other went around his neck, burying itself in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Does this count as a first date?” Leon asked, when he pulled away, still keeping her locked in his arms. 

“Hmmm, probably, though I would’ve liked to have known I was having my first date before it ended,” Claire said. She’d always imagined more fanfare to her first date, not something that turned into one halfway through. 

“We don’t have to count it. We’ll just have to plan a real one,” Leon said. “Though this would have been a good one.”

“A helluva good one,” Claire agreed. First date or not, she’d never forget it. 

X

March

“Surprise!” 

As Claire walked into her house, was assaulted by at least a couple dozen people standing in her living room with balloons, party hats, and party horns. She stood frozen in her doorway, not sure what to do. Surprise parties always seemed like something fun until her birthday ritual of bad horror and action movies with her dad was ruined by people she rarely talked to. 

“Happy birthday, Claire Bear!” Dad said, coming up and pulling her into a hug. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” Claire said, returning the hug.

“Nonsense, you deserve nothing but the best for your 16th birthday.” He pulled away, keeping her at arm’s length, a little teary-eyed as he smiled at her. Claire smiled back, determined to suck it up and pretend to be happy. He’d obviously put a lot of effort into it. 

“Can we still do our normal thing tomorrow?” Claire asked, not wanting to give up what she actually wanted for her birthday. 

His face fell, and she realized it was a pipe dream. “I have to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay.”

“We’ll do it on my next day off. Promise,” he said. Claire simply nodded, not wanting to lie by saying she believed him. “Let’s go say hi to everybody else.”

X

Claire spent the evening mingling with girls she’d been friends with since kindergarten, though they weren’t as close as they’d once been, as well as family members she typically only saw at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It sucked having a big birthday party where two of the three people she actually cared about weren’t even there. 

“Claire! Chris is on the phone,” Dad called from the kitchen. Well, one of the three people.

“Coming!” Claire called, stopping mid-conversation with her Aunt Sheryl to run to the kitchen. She snatched the phone away from her dad. “Chris!” 

“Hey, kid! I heard it’s your birthday?” 

“Shut up,” Claire laughed. They hadn’t talked to him in months, making do with letters none of them were particularly good at writing. “How did you manage to get a call in today?”

“Let’s just say I’m going to be cleaning toilets for the next couple of weeks, so you better be grateful.”

“I thank you for your service.” 

“Good. Now tell me. How much do you hate this party?” 

Claire glanced up at her dad still standing in the kitchen, but he didn’t seem to be able to hear Chris. “A lot.” 

“I told him it was a bad idea.” God, she missed him. He wouldn’t have thrown her a big, terrible birthday party. “Get Uncle John drunk and he’ll scare everybody off.” 

“Ha, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Has Dad shown you the car yet?”

“The car?” Claire perked up, looking at Dad again.

“Goddamit Chris,” Dad grumbled. 

“Oops,” Chris laughed. “He knew I had a brief window to call. He should’ve done it already.”

“What’s he saying?”

“That it’s your fault for waiting,” Claire said.

“It’s my fault for telling him.”

“Well, I don’t have much time left, so I’ll let you go get your birthday present. Happy birthday Sis, love you.”

“Thank you, love you too, Bub. Miss you.”

“Miss you too.”

“Here’s Dad,” she said reluctantly, handing over the phone. They exchanged goodbye, Dad making a comment about never telling Chris anything.

“So a car, huh?” Claire asked when he returned the phone to its spot on the kitchen counter. 

“I guess it’s as good a time as any. Come on.”

Claire followed him out to the garage, where the police cruiser and her grandpa’s beat-up old Bronco sat. “I don’t see a car?”

Dad pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. “The Bronco’s yours.”

“But it doesn’t drive?” Claire asked, confused, staring down at the keys. 

“Yeah, I know,” Dad shrugged. “But I’ve been talking about fixing that thing up since you kids were little and obviously never got around to it. I figured since you have your bike and aren’t in urgent need of a car, this would be a good project for you. It’s not like you can make it worse, and maybe you can give it the love it deserves.” 

Claire’s eyes watered as she looked up at the big red truck, the paint faded and chipped. Fixing up cars in school was fun, but the chance to work on her own car, and one with so much sentimental value, was priceless. She pocketed the key and threw her arms around her dad. “Thank you, daddy. I love it.” 

“Happy birthday, Claire,” he said, hugging her back. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

X

After everybody left, Claire was relieved to finally escape to her room. They’d spent a few minutes cleaning up the worst of the mess before deciding it could be tomorrow’s problem. She’d only just sat down when a tap at her window drew her attention. She opened it to find Leon standing on the roof below her window. 

“Hey you,” Claire said, leaning on the windowsill. 

“Hey,” Leon repeated, a soft grin taking over his face. “Did you have a good birthday?” 

“I’m having a good one now,” Claire grinned. “I wish you could’ve been there.”

“Me too,” Leon sighed. “I heard about it from a couple of kids at school. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“It’s not your fault,” Claire said. “My dad murdering my boyfriend doesn’t seem like the best birthday gift.” 

“Fair enough,” Leon laughed.

“You know,” Claire started, resting her face in her hand. “This is all very Romeo and Juliet. Balcony scene and all.” 

“Technically, that’s not a balcony,” Leon pointed out. 

“Still.” 

“Hopefully, this doesn’t end so tragically. Promise me no double suicides, alright?” 

“Like an anti-suicide pact?” Claire asked with a raised brow. 

“Something like that.” 

“I think I can do that,” Claire grinned. “Hey come here.” 

Leon obliged, taking the few steps to her window; he stood a little below her but was still reachable. “What?” 

Claire leaned down out the window to kiss him, a brief press of lips because of the angle, but still perfect. “Wouldn’t be a balcony scene without a kiss.” 

“Whatever you say,” Leon laughed, standing on his toes to kiss her again, at a slightly better angle since he was more prepared. “Happy birthday, Claire.” 

“Thank you. I’ll see you at school, Romeo?” 

“I’ll see you at school, Juliet.”

Chapter Text

September 

“Why are we doing this again?” Leon asked, driving his jeep towards the Birkin’s house. Claire had started babysitting over the summer to help pay for parts for her truck and had gotten lucky to get the job with the Birkins; some big wig scientists who were never home but had tons of money.

“Because she doesn’t get to things like this very often and she got so excited when I mentioned it,” Claire said. Sherry had been so excited when Claire brought up the fair that she just couldn’t say no. On top of great pay, Sherry was one of the best kids Claire’d ever met, smart, sweet, and amazed by the most ordinary things. Sometimes, she felt bad about how little she’d experienced, but at least Claire could help with that. “Also, her parents are giving me so much money to take their child to the fair.” 

“You know that’s insane, right?”

Claire knew it was insane, but she was a broke 16-year-old and they were wealthy scientists working for a shady pharmaceutical company, so she didn’t feel bad about it. “Yeah, paying somebody $200 to take their daughter to the fair is insane, but I’d be stupid to not take their money.”

“Why am I involved again?” 

“Because I don’t have a car and didn’t think they would love me taking her on my bike.” 

“But they’re okay with you bringing your boyfriend?” 

“I can’t express to you enough how uninvolved they are. I could tell them I was taking their daughter with a known kidnapper and they’d probably say yes.” 

“But the bike’s a problem?”

“Well... I also wanted you there,” Claire grinned, leaning over to kiss his cheek. 

“You’re lucky I like you,” Leon shot back. 

“The luckiest!” 

X 

Claire let them into the fancy house, William Birkin on the phone, pacing his living room. “Hold on one second. Sherry! Claire’s here,” William yelled up the staircase, otherwise not greeting or acknowledging Claire or Leon.

“Claire!” a blonde blur rushed down the stairs crashing into Claire’s arms. 

“Hey kid,” Claire grinned. “You ready for the fair?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Was Annette doing 200 to pay you or to pay you and buy stuff?” William asked, the phone still balanced between his ear and shoulder. 

“I think to pay me,” Claire said. She honestly wasn’t sure, but if he was going to shell out extra money, she wasn’t above taking it. 

“Hopefully this should be enough,” William said, pulling out his wallet and handing her three $100 bills. He finally noticed Leon. “Who’s this?”

“This is Leon. He’s our chauffeur for the day,” Claire said, motioning towards the stiff Leon beside her. 

William studied him for a second before shrugging. “Okay. You guys have fun.” 

“Bye Daddy,” Sherry said, waving as they made their way towards the door. He gave a half-wave before returning to his call, a frown pulling at Sherry’s face. 

“Let’s get going, Sher,” Claire said, putting an arm around her as they went out to Leon’s jeep. “What are you most excited about, the food or the rides?”

Sherry perked up. “The rides! Should I be excited about the food?”

“The food is the best part,” Claire said. “Fried Twinkies...”

“Corn dogs the size of your arm,” Leon chimed in.

 “Funnel cakes the size of your head.”

“Corn.”

“Corn?” Claire asked.

“Yeah, the corn on the cob is always one of my favorite parts,” Leon argued. 

“That’s weird,” Sherry chimed in. “But fried Twinkies sound good! I’m in.”

“You guys are missing out,” Leon said. 

X

Claire and Leon sat on a bench near the small playground Sherry was playing at. Leon’s arm around Claire as she ate an ice cream cone, a large pile of Sherry’s spoils from playing carnival games beside them. The fair was one of Claire’s best ideas yet; Sherry had eaten her weight in fried food and sugar, only throwing up once after riding nearly every ride. 

“You know, this has been nice,” Leon said, his thumb caressing Claire’s arm.

“I told you so,” Claire said.

Leon got a wistful look on his face, looking towards the playground, Sherry hanging upside down from the monkey bars, making faces, and laughing with some other little girl. “Do you ever think about having kids?”

“Not right now because I’m 16-”

Leon shot her a look. “You know what I mean.”

“Okay, okay,” Claire said, more seriously. “I think I would like kids one day. You?”

“I think so,” Leon said. “My whole family situation makes wanting to pass that along terrifying, but the idea of knowing what not to do and doing better is appealing.” 

“I think whenever, if ever, that day comes, you’ll do great,” Claire said, kissing his cheek. 

“I appreciate it. If watching you with Sherry is anything to go off, I know you’ll be great,” Leon said, leaning forward to kiss her. Claire kissed him back, a little overwhelmed by the declaration. She didn’t feel like she was doing anything special, especially considering she was getting paid to watch Sherry, but she couldn’t deny the changes she’d seen in the girl from when she’d met her early in the summer.

“Claire! Leon!” They pulled away, Sherry standing in front of their bench, unaffected by the kissing. “Can we go on the Gravitron?”

“Do you want to throw up again?” Claire asked with a raised eyebrow, not quite ready to lose her food, either.

Sherry tilted her head, thinking about it. “I haven’t eaten in a while. I should be good!” 

“Gravitron it is,” Leon said. “Unless you're chicken, Claire?” 

“Bok Bok,” Sherry chimed in.

“Oh, we’ll go ride the Gravitron,” Claire said. “We’ll just have to see who I throw up ice cream on.”

Claire and Leon got off the bench, Sherry taking both of their hands as they made their way to the ride. Leon looked surprised that she’d grabbed his hand too, having spent most of the day attached to Claire. It was cute how quickly she’d warmed up to him. 

X

February

“So I was thinking about prom,” Claire said, as they walked down the street towards her house after stashing Leon’s jeep a block over. They usually avoided her house, but her dad was going to be gone late and Leon’s other uncle was over again. 

“And?”

“I was thinking... that it’s a night where we’re expected to be out late. I could even say I’m staying at somebody’s house after, and it’s a good excuse to-”

“Claire, what are you saying?” Leon asked, stopping in front of her door. 

“We should skip prom,” Claire said, more anxious than she thought she would be at the proposition. “Let's pretend to go to prom and then do our own thing.”

“Our own thing?”

“Uh yeah, if you want to,” Claire said, feeling her cheeks heat. She wasn’t sure he got what she was asking. She wasn’t sure she was totally ready to ask what she was asking, but the clarification could wait. 

“I want to,” Leon said, taking her hands and placing a quick kiss on her lips. “Plus, I have no interest in going to prom.” 

“Okay, good. It’s a date.”

“It’s a date,” Leon repeated, kissing her again. Claire slipped her hands out of his, one going to his waist while the other went to his cheek, his both sliding around her hips. He pulled away, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, and caressing her cheek. “I love you.”

Claire looked up into his blue eyes, finding only a hint of anxiety for such a huge declaration. Though, it oddly didn’t feel huge, but like something they could have been saying all along. “I love you too.”

“Yeah?” Leon grinned.

“Yeah,” Claire repeated, kissing him one more time. “Now let’s get inside where can at least make out somewhere warm.”

“Deal,” Leon laughed while Claire unlocked the door. 

Claire swung the door open and dropped her bag in the entryway, entering the living room only to see- “Chris!” Claire ran into his arms; him catching her and lifting her off her feet. 

“I missed you, Claire Bear,” Chris said, setting her back down, a huge grin on his face. 

“I missed you too! I have so much I need to tell you,” Claire said. There were so many things she couldn’t express over letters or didn’t want Dad to read.

“Like him?” Chris asked, leaning around her to see Leon inching towards the door. “Yeah, I didn’t forget about you, pretty boy.”

“Fuck.” Claire blanched. She’d forgotten all about Leon, in her surprise at Chris being home. “You can’t tell Dad.” 

“What?” Chris asked. “Claire, he’s tough, but he understands you’re a teenager-” 

“No, it’s not that. I... Give me a second,” she said, walking over to Leon, still standing by the door, his face pale as a sheet. “Hey, it will be okay,” she said, putting a hand on Leon’s arm. He glanced over her shoulder at Chris, who was annoyingly standing in a wide stance in the middle of the living room, his fatigues making him look more intimidating than he really was. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, his eyes darting back to hers. 

“He’s not my dad,” Claire said, the only real consolation she could give. Not even she was confident he wouldn’t tell their dad. “He won’t care about any of that stuff.” 

“If you say so,” Leon said, his disbelief clear on his face. 

“I say so,” she said, kissing his cheek. “Let me deal with him and I’ll call you later, okay?” 

“Okay. I’ll get going.” He squeezed her hand, before shouldering his backpack and turning towards Chris. “Uh, it was nice meeting you.” Chris simply nodded, and Leon gave Claire one last worried glance before leaving the house. 

“You ready to explain what’s going on?” Chris asked. 

“Coffee first,” Claire said, moving towards the kitchen, him following her. Once they were both seated at the kitchen table with coffee in hand, Claire told him everything, well, mostly everything, leaving out most of the sneaking out and anything gross. She felt bad bombarding with all her personal problems the second he got home, but while she was anxious about the verdict, it was nice talking to somebody about it all. 

“Claire,” Chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can’t make anything easy, can you?” 

“I don’t do it on purpose. I would love for things to be easy for once.” Claire complained. “You... you won’t tell Dad, will you?”

“Claire, he’s going to find out eventually, and I think he’ll be a hell of a lot less mad if you tell him than if he finds out on his own,” Chris said. 

“It’s been four years, and he hasn’t found out yet. I just have to make it another couple,” Claire said. 

“This is going to blow up in your face.”

“But...?” 

“But I won’t tell dad,” Chris said. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Claire said, getting up to hug him. 

“On one condition.”

“Anything.” 

“If Dad finds out, you can’t tell him I knew.” 

“Deal!” 

X 

April

“Okay, just one more picture,” Lonnie said, holding his camera in front of him. 

“Lonnie, we’ve already taken so many pictures. We’re going to be late,” Leon complained. They’d been standing on the front porch of his house for the last 20 minutes, with Lonnie taking pictures of Claire and him. Leon was almost thankful Claire’s dad didn’t know about them, so they didn’t have to sit through two of these.

“We can do one more, but then we do really have to get going,” Claire said, standing beside him, her arms around his waist. Leon looked down at her, struck again at how beautiful she was. They’d agreed not to put a ton of effort in since they weren’t actually going to prom, just enough to not draw suspicion. Still, she’d shown up in a velvety dark red spaghetti strap dress that fell just below her knees, with strappy heels, and he’d suddenly been thankful for the ruse, though he felt underdressed in his black button-up. He should have at least gotten a tie. 

“I guess I can live with one more picture,” Leon conceded, still looking down at her. 

Claire looked up at him, a bright smile taking over her face. “It will be nice to have one day.” 

One day, those words brought him more joy than he thought two words could. Realistically, he knew the odds weren’t in their favor. Most people didn't stay with their high school girlfriends, but the idea of life without her was unbearable. 

A click from the camera drew both of their attentions back to Lonnie, who gave them one of his rare smiles. “That one was too good to pass up.” 

“Are we free now?” Leon asked.

“Yeah yeah yeah, you kids go have fun.” 

X

“Where are we going?” Claire asked, Leon driving his jeep further and further out of town. 

“For the dozenth time, it’s a surprise,” Leon said, a trace of annoyance streaking into his voice. 

“I don’t like surprises,” Claire huffed, folding her arms in front of her. 

“Well, believe it or not, you don’t always get what you want,” Leon said, flashing her a cheeky grin. “The wait's almost over, though. We’re almost there.”

Ignoring his first comment, Claire glanced out the window only to see a few farms and some cows in the distance. “We’re almost there? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“I know.”

“Are we going cow tipping? I don’t think I’m dressed for that.” 

“No, we aren’t going cow tipping,” Leon laughed, pulling onto a stretch of private road. 

“Where the hell are you going?” 

“Patience.”

Claire huffed again, her confusion growing as they drove down the stretch of road. It didn’t look particularly well kept, the grass high, and the fence along the edge rusted and bent. Claire had a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue, but for once kept them to herself, letting Leon have his time. 

After a few more minutes, they reached their destination - an old, dilapidated farmhouse with a barn beside it, the barn the only structurally sound thing on the property. “Where are we?” 

“You’ll see in a second,” Leon said, cutting the engine and getting out of the jeep. Claire followed suit, Leon taking her hand and leading her toward the barn.

Claire was amazed when she stepped through the big red door. The entire space was draped in twinkling string lights, giving it a soft, ethereal glow, and a picnic basket sat on a blanket in the center of the room. “How did you...?” 

“You like it?” Leon asked, his voice nervous. 

“I love it,” Clarie said, looking up at him. “You did all of this?”

“Yeah, I wanted tonight to be special. I know it’s just a barn, but it was the only place I could think of where we could get some real privacy.” 

“It’s perfect,” Claire said, wrapping her arms around him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Leon said, leaning down to kiss her, one hand resting gently on her cheek. 

Claire deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth and sliding her hand under his shirt; the bare skin of his side, enough to send a thrill through her. Leon's hand drifted down her body, resting on the small of her back as he pulled her against him. 

Leon broke the kiss, but kept his face close to hers, searching her face. “I’ve... I’ve never done this before.” 

“Me neither,” Claire said, looking deep into his eyes. Obviously, neither of them had done this before. They were each other’s first in every way so far, and Claire couldn’t think of a better person for any of it. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I would be perfectly content with a romantic barn picnic.”

“No, I want to. I really want to. It’s just going to take some figuring out.” 

“Then we will figure it out together,” Claire smiled. 

X 

Waking up with Claire wrapped in his arms and the first rays of sunlight peeking through the slats in the roof was definitely the best way Leon had ever woken up. He gently traced a finger along her arm, still amazed he was allowed to, before placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.

“‘Morning,” Claire murmured, snuggling back into him. 

“Good morning,” Leon whispered back.

“Last night was perfect,” Claire said, turning in his arms so she could look him straight on. Her hair was messy, in waves around her shoulders, and her makeup a little smeared, but he’d never seen anything more beautiful than her soft morning smile. 

“It was.” Leon placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. Claire let out a satisfied hum, so he followed it with a kiss on her lips. “We should probably start heading back soon though if we want to keep suspicion down.”

“I know,” Claire sighed. “I have a good alibi, but I don’t know how long it will hold. I wish we could stay here forever.” 

“Me too.” 

X

“You never actually said where that was,” Claire said, on their way back into town. 

“The house belonged to my great-grandpa. It fell into disarray when my grandpa had it. My dad and uncles always talked about fixing it but never did. The barn’s the only thing still worth anything,” Leon said. He didn’t mention the barn was still in good condition because they used it to stash things from time to time or hide out when things got sticky. On top of setting up the lights, he also made sure any signs of stolen car parts were out of sight. 

“That’s sweet,” Claire grinned. “I hope you guys eventually get around to fixing it up.”

“Heh, maybe one day. For now, it’s a good property to have when needed,” Leon said. 

“Maybe one day,” Claire said, looking wistfully out the window. He wondered what she was thinking, an image of him fixing it up for the two of them coming into his head. He’d never had any interest in the house before. Most of his associations with it were negative, but maybe some positive ones couldn’t hurt. 

They made the rest of the drive in relative silence, both of them taking in the morning. Anxiety crept in a couple of times, Claire not usually being the quiet type, but every time he glanced over at her she smiled back at him so sweetly it had to be genuine.

“I love you,” Claire said, as they pulled into her neighborhood. 

“I love you too,” Leon responded, flashing her a grin. 

The sweetness of the moment faded when they pulled onto her street; multiple police cars parked in front of her house, and a couple of officers standing out on the lawn. “Oh no... What did he do?” Claire muttered. 

Leon stopped his jeep at the end of the street, hoping beyond hope they hadn’t clocked them yet. “Uhhh Claire, what’s the game plan here?” 

Claire locked eyes with him, the fear clear in her face. “I... I don’t know. I thought my alibi was solid. I also didn’t think he would do this.” She motioned at the scene in front of her house.

“Do you think turning around and dropping you off a block over is an option?” Leon asked. He didn’t love the thought. It felt shitty to drop her and go, but she was already in enough trouble without including him. 

“No.” Claire’s eyes were glued in front of her. Leon followed her eyeline to find the two cops already walking over to them while a big burly man came out the front door. He felt like he was 9 again, stuck in the police station waiting room. 

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah.”

X

“I don’t know what has gotten into you,” her dad said, throwing his hands in the air. Claire was seated in the middle of the couch, still in her crumpled prom dress, wanting to be anywhere but there. “Lying. Sneaking out. Staying out all night, and all with that boy!” 

“Dad-” 

“You don’t get to talk yet,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “You could have been hurt, could have been killed, and nobody would have had the damnedest idea. I don’t know what he did to convince you of this-”

“Dad-” 

“-but you aren’t to see him anymore. If I find out-”

“Dad-” 

“I’m serious Claire,” he said. “I don’t want you around him. You’re better than that. You’ll ruin your life. You’ll-” Claire’d had enough; she stood up and headed towards the stairs. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” 

“I’m not having this conversation anymore,” Claire said, crossing her arms and standing on the first step. “If you aren’t going to let me talk, I’m not fucking doing this. I’m not going to let you sit here and talk about Leon like that.” 

“This conversation is sure as hell not over. You don’t make the rules-” 

“Look, I’m sorry you didn’t know where I was. I’m sorry I scared you,” Claire said, trying to keep her voice level because she did genuinely feel guilty. Between Mom and his job, she knew he probably jumped to the worst conclusions. “But maybe if you weren’t so hung up on this whole Kennedy thing, I wouldn’t have had to lie to you for all these years-”

“YEARS?” 

Claire flinched at the shout. She’d known it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it slipped out, but it was too late now. The cat was out of the bag. “Yeah. We’ve been friends, best friends since seventh grade. He’s been my boyfriend for a year and a half now.” 

Her dad just stood there, staring at her. Claire wondered if for the first time in years, hell maybe the first time since her mom died, he was seeing her , not the perfect daughter he’d built in his head. “Go.” 

“What?” 

“Go to your room. I don’t want to see you right now.” 

Claire tried to think of something to say, something to make this better, but she knew there wasn’t anything that could fix this. So she went up to her room, threw off the crumpled prom dress, changed into pajamas, and crawled into bed. She clung to her pillow and sobbed into it, letting out all the emotions of the last couple of hours.  

X

Leon pulled his jeep into the driveway, parking beside the beat-up old truck that signified his Uncle Larry was there. Great. The day kept getting better. Resting his head on the steering wheel, he worked on gathering the courage to go inside. He should’ve known not going to prom was a bad idea, should’ve known staying out all night was a worse idea. What was he thinking, sneaking out with a police officer’s daughter? 

At least he hadn’t broken any real laws. The cops looked like they were ready to pin just about anything on him, and that was before he’d said his name. The second he’d said his name was Leon Kennedy, the already tense situation turned even more hostile, the questioning getting significantly more pointed and turning from what had they done to what had he done. Claire’s dad had at least been preoccupied with her, only giving him a brief ‘stay the hell away from her’ before taking her back to the house. 

Leon forced himself out of the jeep. He didn’t want to deal with what was inside, but he wanted his bed, his room, his stereo, anything that brought more comfort than reliving his morning. Opening the front door, he could hear his uncles talking in the kitchen. Leon tried to make a beeline to his room, but they, unfortunately, caught him. 

“Leon, you just get home?” Lonnie asked, leaning against the counter, a cup of coffee in hand. 

“Yup. I’m going to my room.” Lonnie had a skeptical look on his face like he wanted to get onto him. Fortunately, Leon’s misery seemed to keep him from pressing the matter. 

“Okay. Hope you aren’t doing anything stupid,” Lonnie finally said. 

“Before you go, I got some good news for you,” Larry said. Leon had been ignoring him sitting at the small round dining room table. 

“Can’t it wait? I’m not in the mood for good news.” No good news for Larry was good news for anybody else.

“Nonsense!” Larry said, standing up from the table.

“Larry...” Lonnie warned. 

“The kid should know,” Larry argued. “Those people that killed your parents. We don’t gotta worry about ‘em anymore.” 

Leon’s blood turned cold at the words. He honestly hadn’t thought the day could get worse, but leave it to this fucker to prove him wrong. “What do you mean we don’t gotta worry about them?” 

“It means we don’t gotta worry about ‘em,” Larry grinned, clapping Leon on the shoulder. “And I got friends in high places, so no worries on that end.”

Leon still wasn’t sure if that meant murder, or putting them away or what the fuck it meant, but it couldn’t be good. He looked over at Lonnie, him looking down at the cup in his hand, avoiding all eye contact. “I-I can’t deal with this right now.” 

Leon shrugged Larry’s hand off of him and turned to head back to his room. How had a day that started so perfect ended up so awful? He tried to recall the morning of waking up to Claire in his arms, but the look sad look she gave him as her dad escorted her away came instead. 

Chapter Text

August

On the first day of school, Claire sat against their tree, her legs stretched out in front of her, unsure if Leon would show. Her lunch was shorter since she had to calculate the drive to vo-tech into her time, but she’d still hoped for some time with him. She missed him desperately. 

Prom had only been a few weeks before the end of school; a few weeks Leon spent avoiding her. It wasn’t hard, the end of the year full of tests and assemblies; the structure of school slowly crumbling into summer vacation. She'd then spent the summer so grounded she’d only been able to make phone calls from Sherry’s house, and getting Leon to answer the phone was hard enough without the added stress of a nine-year-old eavesdropping and butting in. 

It had been a long summer. 

She gazed out at the groups of students dotting the school lawn, bitter at everybody being happy to see each other, reminiscing over their summers, and seniors excited about their last year. Her bitterness grew until finally, Leon appeared, his hands buried in his pockets and his head down, but at least he was walking in her direction.

“Hey,” Claire said, as he sat down beside her. 

“Hey,” Leon said, still not quite looking at her. 

Claire hated this, hated not knowing what to say around Leon. Everything’d always come easy for them, from the nine-year-olds telling dinosaur jokes to transitioning from friends to more than friends. “I missed you.”

Leon looked at her, his face softening. “I missed you too.”  

Claire couldn’t take it anymore. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. He stiffened at first but relaxed, his arms going around her middle.  “I love you,” Claire murmured, kissing his shoulder. 

“Claire...” Claire pulled away; that wasn’t what she wanted him to say. She searched his face, hating the conflict she found there. Thankfully, he sighed before returning her affection. “I love you too.”

Relief settled over her as she relaxed back into the tree, his arm going around her shoulder. Claire could handle a lot of things; she could figure out how to deal with this new harder stage of their relationship, but she couldn’t deal with him pretending not to love her. 

“This is a bad idea,” Leon said, leaning his head against hers

Claire shrugged. “Maybe. Honestly, it’s going to be difficult. I’m on a whole new level of house arrest. I’m surprised I’m even allowed to go to the Birkin’s, but he doesn’t get a say in what I do at school.” 

“Yeah... We’ll figure it out,” Leon said. 

“Together,” Claire smiled up at him. 

He gave her a shaky smile back. “Together.” 

“Did you do anything exciting over the summer?” Claire asked, leaning into him. 

“Not really. Got a job at the grocery store. You?” 

“I couldn't leave the house unless I was with my dad, Chris, or watching Sherry,” Claire sighed. “Sherry and I had some fun, went to the pool a few times, and made some fun summer crafts, but otherwise, life was pretty much nothing.” 

“At least you had Sherry,” Leon pointed out. 

“Yeah, I don’t know what I would have done without her, honestly,” Claire said. “I did get some work done on the Bronco. It’s almost drivable.” 

“Hey! That’s awesome. Why didn’t you start with that?” 

“Eh, almost drivable isn’t quite the accomplishment I want it to be,” Claire laughed. “I also started working on college applications a couple of weeks ago. It's early, but I didn’t have anything better to do.” 

An unexpected shadow fell over Leon’s face at the mention of college. They hadn’t really talked about it. Claire figured they would figure it out together, make a plan that took both of them into consideration but hadn’t been able to talk to him yet. They still had plenty of time, though. “Have you thought about college at all?” 

“Eh, I don’t know,” Leon admitted. “My grades aren’t the best, and the thought of another four years of school isn’t exactly appealing, but neither is the alternative. I’ll probably start with community college.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Claire said. “I honestly don’t want to go at all. With vo-tech, I’ll get enough certifications to get a job at an auto shop, but my dad won’t hear anything of me not going to college.” 

“You're smart. You could do great things in some fancy college,” Leon said. 

“I don’t want to do great things in some fancy college. I want to work on cars,” Claire argued, a bitter feeling sinking in at him using similar arguments to her dad.

Leon looked like he wanted to argue with her, but he changed the subject instead. “You know, I’ve thought about becoming a police officer.” 

“What?” Claire sputtered, the idea of Leon becoming a police officer absurd. “Are you serious?” 

“Maybe?” Leon said with a cheeky smile. 

X

September 

“I found an apartment,” Chris said to the dinner table one night. 

“That’s great,” Claire lied. It had obviously been coming, but Claire still wasn't prepared to return to it just being her and Dad, especially now. Chris hadn’t been a buffer as much as he’d been somebody else to take some of the anger. 

He’d joined the force, going through the police academy when he’d gotten back. Which would have been their dad’s dream, except Barry had been the one to convince him, promising him a spot on the force’s new STARS team once he’d gone through all the preliminary steps. Chris truly figured out a way to do exactly what their dad wanted in a way he hated. She still had much to learn.

“When are you moving?” Dad asked, taking a bite of his spaghetti. He didn’t look too affected, but it was difficult to tell.  

“A couple of weeks.” 

“So I get a couple of weeks before I get to deal with him all by myself again?” Claire asked, hooking a thumb towards Dad at the end of the table. The best part about being eternally grounded was she no longer cared about upsetting him. He was always upset. 

“I’ll just be up the road. I’ll still be around enough to help take the pressure off. Plus, I work with him now,” Chris pointed out. 

“I’m right here, you know?” 

“We know.” 

X

November

“Now that you’re 18, I think it’s time you stepped up around here,” Larry said, one of the horrible days he was visiting. His visits seemed to get more and more frequent to Leon’s dismay. 

“Stepped up how? I already got a job at the grocery store over the summer,” Leon said, sinking further into the couch cushions. Before, his free time had been filled with Claire, but when that came to an abrupt halt, he’d desperately needed something to fill the time. Money was nice too. They still hung out when they could, at school, when Claire’s dad worked late enough she could sneak out, and any other scraps they could find, but it wasn’t the same. 

“And I’m sure that extra money helps Lonnie out, but that’s not what I meant.” 

“What do you mean?” Leon asked, hoping this wasn’t heading where he thought it was heading. 

“The family business.” 

There it was. 

“I’m not interested in the ‘family business,’” Leon said, using dramatic finger quotes around the phrase.

“Come on one job,” Larry said. “Lonnie’s out of town and I got this nice, easy one. Great first time job.” 

“No.” 

“Your dad would’ve done it.” 

“I’m not my dad,” Leon snapped. He hated the comparison. He hated it from people like Charles Redfield, and he hated it from people like Larry. The physical resemblance was similar, but their likeness ended there. He honestly barely remembered the guy, having spent ages 4-8 in prison, and dying when he was 10, but what he remembered wasn’t exactly pretty. 

“Yeah, that’s for damn sure,” Larry growled. “I give you a year in the real world. A year of supporting yourself before you come crawling back to dear old Larry.” 

“I wouldn’t hold your breath.” 

X 

March

“Claire!” 

“In here,” Claire called from underneath the Bronco. Her dad actually sounded happy instead of shouting her name, which worried her. 

She rolled herself out from under the truck as he walked into the garage, a big envelope in hand. College acceptance letter season had done a lot of good in rebuilding her relationship with her dad. He seemed to forgive her with every scrap of evidence she was, in fact, a good kid. Sure, she lied about befriending and dating his old nemesis’s son, but at least she’d gotten accepted into two universities so far. 

Claire, on the other hand, felt nauseous with every big envelope, maybe the only student in her class desperate for a small one. “Where’s that one from?” She was only missing two, so the options were limited. 

“Northwestern,” he grinned, handing her the large yellow envelope. It was her number one choice. No. It was her dad’s number one choice. The mechanical engineering program was one of the best, and why work on cars when you could build spaceships, make cars, or whatever other things mechanical engineers did. “Go on, open it.” 

Claire slid her finger under the seal, her heart beating faster as she opened the envelope and pulled out the large packet, a single piece of paper on the front of it. Her eyes quickly found the ‘congratulations’. “I got in.” 

“I knew you would!” her dad cheered, pulling her into a hug, moving side to side some. He was so excited. Claire just felt numb. “We need to celebrate! I’ll go call Chris. Let's go out to eat wherever you want.” 

Once he released her from the hug, Claire moved almost on autopilot. She grabbed her jacket off the hook in the corner of the garage; her keys already in the pocket. “What are you-?” 

“I have to go,” Claire said, opening the garage door and putting her helmet on. 

“You can’t just-” 

“I’ll be home later,” Claire called back, getting on her bike and riding it off. She didn’t care how much trouble she got in. She couldn’t be there anymore. 

Surprisingly, her dad didn’t follow her. Maybe she’d earned enough good karma to be let off the leash for a short while. The trip to Leon’s house wasn’t long, definitely not long enough for the bike to loosen up the stress pooled in her stomach, but it helped some. 

Claire knocked on the door when she got there. Once upon a time, she’d just walk in, but she’d only been there a couple of times all year and it no longer felt appropriate. 

“Hey Claire, long time no see,” Lonnie said, opening the door. 

“Hey, Lonnie. Leon home?” 

“Yeah, he’s in his room,” Lonnie said, stepping aside to let her in. 

“Thanks,” she said, before heading straight to his room. 

Leon was propped up on his bed, a book in hand, when she opened the door. “Claire?” Claire said nothing, setting her jacket and helmet on the desk in the corner before crawling onto the bed, wrapping her arms around his waist, and burying her head in his chest. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Claire murmured. College was the one subject she didn’t trust Leon to agree with her on. He had some weird complex about the whole thing that she wasn’t in the mood for. She just wanted him. 

“Okay, you don’t have to. Just-is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, technically, everything is okay.” 

Leon sat his book down on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around her. They sat in silence for a while, Leon’s gentle caress on her arm finally easing up some of her stress.

“So you still really considering becoming a cop?” Claire asked eventually, wanting to talk about the future, in a way that didn’t revolve around her, but them. 

“Kinda yeah,” Leon said. “It mostly started as a joke, but I actually kind of like the idea. Have the Kennedy name stand for something other than petty crime and car thefts.” 

“You know you can make the Kennedy name stand for something more without becoming a cop, right?” Claire asked, looking up at him. 

“Yeah, but I do like the idea. Also, I know how messed up the system can be, and maybe working on the inside is the best way to change things,” Leon said.

“How did you get such a good heart?” Claire asked, pushing herself up to sit beside him, keeping his arm around her shoulder. 

“I don’t know,” Leon chuckled. “Maybe God’s been leeching goodness out of my ancestors’ hearts to give it all to me.” 

“That checks out,” Claire grinned, kissing his cheek. “I hate the idea of being a police wife, though. Like police daughter and sister weren’t bad enough.” 

Any trace of humor drained out of Leon’s face at the comment. Claire kicked herself for it. Maybe the ‘wife’ word was too much, too early, too scary with everything else going on. “You don’t have to be. You’re going to go off to some fancy school and leave all our sorry asses behind.” 

“I don’t want to,” Claire said. “I want to build a future with you. It’s our chance. Our chance to figure out our lives together, without interference from the adults. Whether that's school or not; I don’t care.” 

“Claire.” She hated it when he said her name that way. It made her feel small in a way she wasn’t used to Leon making her feel. Other people sure, but not him. “You can’t not go to school because of me. I don’t want you making decisions because of me.” 

Claire pulled away from him, pressing her palm into her forehead, hot tears burning in her eyes. “Why won’t anybody fucking listen to me?” 

“I’m listening.” 

“No, you aren’t,” she snapped. “Everybody thinks they know what’s best for me, but nobody gives a shit about what I want. Not even you.” 

“What do you want?” Leon asked, his voice soft. He was trying to de-escalate, but she just felt patronized. 

Claire got off the bed, already grabbing her jacket for the second time that evening. “I want you, I want us, and I want to work on cars. I don’t want Northwestern. I don’t want NASA or whatever the fuck else everybody thinks I’m supposed to do.” 

“Claire, you’re too good for me. You are incredibly smart and talented and gorgeous and you deserve better than me and this stupid fucking town,” Leon said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. 

Claire scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Apparently, I’m not good enough to deserve what I actually want.” 

“Come on, Claire,” Leon pleaded. 

“No, I get it. I got the message loud and fucking clear,” Claire said, putting the jacket on and grabbing her helmet. “I hope you're happy when I’m in Chicago and you're stuck here alone because I sure as hell won’t be.” 

She left the room before he could say anything else. She barely registered him calling after her as she passed the kitchen and the living room, Lonnie giving her a concerned look before she slammed the front door. 

X 

April 

“Lonnie! I got big news!” Leon flinched at the front door slamming open, Larry stumbling in with an expensive, half-empty bottle of champagne in his hand. Leon thought back to the last time he had ‘big news’ and couldn’t wait to hear what this one was. 

“Didn’t anybody ever teach you how to knock?” Lonnie complained, snatching the bottle from Larry. 

“Nope,” Larry said, taking a seat in the recliner Lonnie had vacated. “Now, listen close. I got us a sweet gig. Lots of money and payback all in one.” 

Leon wanted to escape to his room, but he’d started paying attention to the things Larry said, compiling them even. He knew it fully went against their whole ‘do anything for family’ thing, but Leon was getting tired of it. Tired of them trying to drag him into it, and especially tired of him successfully dragging Lonnie into it more than he already was. So he stayed put. 

“What’s this about Lar?” Lonnie asked, staying standing by the couch. 

“I got word from my friend, you know-”

“The one in high places, yeah, we know,” Leon said, wanting him to get to the point. He’d kill to know who this ‘friend’ was, but he was equally tired of hearing about it. 

Larry glared but continued. “Well, he told me an officer tipped off the people that killed your parents about where to find them that night.”

“They’re ‘taken care of’ why are we still talking about this? I thought we were done.” Leon’s stomach turned at the words ‘taken care of.’ He still clung to the naïve part of him that hoped their lives were ruined somehow, or they were in prison somewhere, though he knew those options were all unlikely. 

“Because somebody killed my baby brother,” Larry said, pointing a finger at Leon. “You may not care about that Lee , but I do, and I won't rest until everybody at fault is punished. You hear me?” 

“Loud and clear,” Leon grumbled. 

“This officer?” Lonnie asked, returning to the subject at hand. 

“Yeah, he said an officer tipped them off, and that officer was that fucking asshole Redfield.” 

Leon froze at the name, using every ounce of self-control to try and keep looking normal. Honestly, it wasn’t something he necessarily disbelieved. He didn’t know the man well, but what he did know wasn’t great. A part of him couldn’t believe somebody who raised Claire would do such a thing, but he knew intimately how far the apple could fall from the tree. 

“Redfield? You sure?” Lonnie asked. “That guy’s a dick, but always seemed like a straight-laced dick.” 

“That’s what my friend said,” Larry said. “And he said he’d pay me big time to take care of him.” 

Leon felt nauseous. He wanted to run away from this conversation, wanted to pretend he’d never heard anything, but he forced himself to stay put. If he was going to be of any help, he needed to know as much as possible. 

“You okay kid? You’re looking a little green,” Larry asked. 

“Uh... yeah. I just- criminals are one thing. Police officers are a whole other can of worms,” Leon said, hoping his voice sounded normal. 

“He shouldn’t be here for this,” Lonnie said. “We can do this later.”

“No! I want to be here,” Leon said, panicking. 

Lonnie cocked an eyebrow, but Larry had a proud smile on his face. God, Leon never wanted him to be proud of him. “Let’s at least get some food in us. I always enjoy planning over food.” 

X 

Leon stood in front of the white door, a decorative red R hanging on it, a folder hugged against his chest. He’d sat through the entire evening feeling like he was underwater: slightly nauseous, only hearing half the things being said, and convinced he was going to run out of air at any moment. Once he’d been sure his uncles were passed out, Larry snoring on the couch, a bottle dangling from his hand, Leon had snuck out and gone straight there. 

He banged on the door. 

Nobody answered. 

He banged on the door harder. 

The folder in his arms felt heavier and heavier. 

Nobody answered. 

He banged on the door again. 

The door finally swung open, revealing a large angry man in a gray t-shirt and red plaid pajama bottoms. “What in the hell are you doing here?” 

Leon clung to the folder in his arms, it threatening to weigh him down. He hadn’t had time to prepare what he wanted to say. Hoped it would come to him when he got there, but looking at the man in front of him, he felt paralyzed. He’d spent the last six years avoiding him, only to confront him now. 

“Claire’s not here.”

“I know,” Leon said, earning him a glare. The Birkins were out of town, so Claire was staying with Sherry. Their relationship had been tense lately, but he still knew some things. “I came here for you.” 

“And what could you possibly have to say to me?” 

“My uncle is going to try to kill you,” Leon blurted out, hoping all the words came out right, feeling nauseous again now that he was saying them out loud. 

The man in front of him blanched, stepping aside to let Leon into the house. “How do you-” 

“He told me. Well, he said he was going to ‘take care of you’, but I’m old enough to know what that means.”

“Why?”

“My uncle keeps talking about this friend he has in a high place, and they told him you gave the people who killed my parents the information they needed to do so,” Leon said, forcing himself to maintain eye contact as he spoke, still hugging the folder to his chest. 

“Dammit fucking Irons,” he cursed, his fist balling up beside him. Leon hadn’t known what to expect from Claire’s dad. She didn’t talk about him too much unless she was complaining, but he’d always pictured a put-together picturesque midwestern cop. He’d not been prepared for the outburst. Charles Redfield took a deep breath before addressing Leon again. “I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know your parents died until a few years ago.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Leon said, and he meant it. Continuing the cycle of blame and literal murder didn’t help anybody. Leon handed him the folder. “I don’t have a lot of evidence, but this is everything I’ve compiled. I’m also pretty sure they killed the people who killed my parents.” 

He flipped through the folder, scanning over everything. Most of it was Leon’s notes, information he’d collected, which wasn’t much, but there were some pictures and a few suspicious receipts. “Some of this dates back over a year. Why didn’t you come forward sooner?” 

“Because I was 17,” Leon said. “These people are the only reason I have a roof over my head. Without them, I have nothing. Also, the only cop I know hates my guts, for something I had no control over, might I add.” 

“Why are you saying something now?” 

“Because I love your daughter,” Leon admitted, taking satisfaction in the flash of emotion that crossed the man’s face. “And you dying would kill her, and knowing I could have prevented it would kill me.” 

He didn’t say anything, just kept looking through the folder, which was mildly infuriating. Leon wanted him to apologize, admit he was wrong, thank Leon, do something. “There’s some holes, but this is good work.” 

“I’m not exactly on the team. It’s the best I can do. I tried to convince them to let me in on the plan so I’d know more, but they boxed me out,” Leon said. 

“Follow me,” He said, walking further into the house. 

Leon did as he was told, following him to a door at the end of the hall that he had to unlock. The door led into a small office, a large evidence board posted on one wall, full of pictures, articles, sticky notes, and pretty much anything else one could imagine. “Woah.” 

“I shouldn’t be showing you this,” he said upfront. “But if my life really is at risk, I need to figure this out sooner rather than later. This might fill some of the holes in my own research, and a second pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.” 

“What are you...?” 

“I guess does any of this ring any bells for you?” 

Leon had a hard time focusing on any one thing on the board. Articles about a string of missing women, the induction of the current police chief, and a breakdown of funds for an orphanage. Nothing looked familiar or made any sense. The red strings seemed to be connected at random. Maybe he had lost it. “I don’t see anything, no.” 

“Take your time,” he said, sitting down at the desk and spreading out the papers. 

Leon hadn’t known what to expect when he came there, but looking at what he could only assume was a crazy conspiracy theory against the police chief wasn’t what he’d pictured. He studied the board, trying to find something, anything, that made sense when a receipt caught his eye. “Hey, I found something.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, this receipt, it’s for L3K. My uncle sometimes uses that name when he sells stolen merchandise,” Leon said. It wasn’t a particularly clever fake name, but it stumped the police officer, so he guessed it worked better than he thought it would. 

“I couldn’t find any information on the company, and the items are listed as miscellaneous. Any idea what it's for?”

“It’s not a real company,” Leon said. “And, unfortunately, I have no idea what it was for.” 

“It's a start at least,” he said. “I’ll look into this further. Thank you for the heads up, and the help. Now, you should be getting home.” 

“Hold on,” Leon said. “I have one condition for this information.” 

“Word of advice? In the future, give your condition before your information,” He said, a protective hand going over the evidence. 

“Fair,” Leon said, kicking himself for not thinking that through. “Anyway, I need you to keep my name out of all of this. Do what you will, but my uncles can never find out I played a part in this.” 

“That may not be possible.” 

“If my uncle ever finds out I betrayed him, I’m a dead man,” Leon said. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that unless Larry got put away for life, the second he got out, he’d do whatever he could to get back at Leon. 

“If it comes down to it, we could always get you witness protec-” 

“I’m sure sending me as far away from your daughter as possible and making me impossible to find would be ideal for you, but I’m not doing witness protection. Keep my name out of this.” 

“I’ll do what I can.” 

X 

May  

Claire stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her room, her hair perfectly curled, the white gown pristine, and her hat pinned tight and even. She looked like the perfect person everybody thought she was, the perfect valedictorian. She wanted to throw up. 

Claire wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten valedictorian. Sure, she’d always gotten good grades, well, perfect grades, but she hadn’t realized she was doing well enough to be at the top of the class. When her counselor told her she tried to refuse, but apparently you aren’t allowed to do that.  

“Claire, you almost ready? We gotta get going.” 

“I’ll be down in a second,” Claire yelled back. She looked back at the stranger in the mirror. Senior year was supposed to be the year of finding yourself, figuring out what your next steps were, and preparing for the future. Claire felt like she had lost herself, forced into other people’s bubble against her will and she didn’t know how to get out. 

X

Sitting through the senior class president’s speech made Leon regret going to graduation. How could somebody be so peppy about a terrible year in his life? Had that year not been terrible for everybody? Everybody around him had spent the year so miserable he forgot most people had happy senior years, even his peers. Would Claire give some overly peppy here's to the future speech? He couldn’t picture her saying any of the cheesy stereotypical bullshit that came along with those kinds of speeches, but he also couldn’t imagine a speech without them. 

“-and most importantly, follow your dreams.” 

Leon bit back a groan at yet another stereotypical phrase, but at least the guy was leaving, the principal taking his place. “Thank you for a wonderful speech, Trevor. Next on the agenda is a speech by Valedictorian, Claire Redfield. Claire is attending Northwestern University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.” 

The announcement made his heart sink. He knew, of course, but something about the principal announcing it to the world made it feel more real, like there was no escaping it. 

“And here is Claire Redfield.” The principal motioned for something off-stage, but nothing happened. Leon sat up straighter in his chair. “Claire Redfield.” The principal repeated. When still nothing happened, she stomped down the steps, disappearing behind the stage before returning to the podium. “It looks like we will be skipping the valedictorian speech today. Let’s move on.” 

Leon got out of his chair, trying to stay low as he walked towards the side aisle. Student gave him a weird look, but nobody stopped him until he got to the end, a teacher flagging him down, Mr. Johnson of all people. “What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Kennedy?” 

“I have to go. Stomach issue,” Leon said, putting a hand on his stomach for emphasis. 

Mr. Johnson studied him for a moment, before sighing. “If you leave, you can’t come back in. You won’t be able to walk.” 

“That’s okay. I don’t have anyone here, anyway.” 

“Very well,” Mr. Johnson said, stepping aside. “Make sure Claire’s okay.” 

“Will do,” Leon said, with a nod. As quickly and quietly as he could, Leon left the football field and walked towards the school’s lawn. He had a pretty solid idea of where she could be. 

He spotted her quickly, at first just a white speck in the sea of green, and then a beautiful woman sat against their tree. A tree he realized for the first time they may never sit at again. “Care if I join you?” 

Claire looked up at him, somehow not noticing him until he got close. She looked beautiful. Her gown was pristine, though he was sure when she got up it would be grass-stained, and she'd obviously spent a long time getting ready. She didn’t quite look like his Claire though. “It’s a free country.” 

Leon chuckled and took the seat beside her. Hesitantly, he put an arm around her, thankful when she leaned into him, even if her hat was hitting his cheek. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Leon said. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

“How mad do you think everybody’s going to be?” 

“It’s probably the first time the top student of a class abandoned her responsibility in the final hour,” Leon said. “But who cares?” 

“Yeah, who cares,” Claire said, picking at her gown. 

“So humor me. How many cheesy graduation tropes did you have in your speech?” 

“It wasn’t my speech.” 

“What?” 

“The speech I had. It wasn’t mine. Not really. My counselor made me make so many edits that by the end I didn’t even recognize my own words in it. I couldn’t get up there in front of everybody and say a bunch of shit I didn’t believe.” 

“Fair enough. What was your original speech?” 

“This year sucked. I’m glad it’s over.” 

Leon snorted. “Okay, I can see why they didn’t like that.” 

“I didn’t want to give the damn speech in the first place.” 

“Well, I think you had the last laugh.” 

“Yeah I guess,” Claire said, her voice trailing off. 

There were so many things he wanted to tell her, hyper-aware that this may be the last time he ever saw her before she ran off to Chicago. He wanted to give this moment the gravity it deserved, but found himself coming up blank. 

“I-I heard about your uncles,” Claire finally said, which was the last thing he had expected her to say. “I’m sorry.” 

“Larry deserved it,” Leon said bluntly. He hadn’t told her why they’d gotten arrested, or even his involvement, and he was pretty sure her dad hadn’t either. “I’m glad they were able to pin enough on him. He’ll hopefully be gone for a long, long time.” 

“It sucks about Lonnie though,” Claire said, looking up at him. 

“Yeah, it does,” Leon admitted. He’d tried to keep his name out of as many things as possible, but at the end of the day, he couldn’t keep it out of everything without blatantly lying. “Thankfully, it looks like he’s only going to get a few years. Still the least amount of time in prison of all his brothers. That has to be good for something, right?” 

“I guess.” 

“When are you moving to Chicago?” Leon asked, wanting to talk about anything but his current home predicament. 

“Officially not until August, but Mrs. Birkin got me into this summer program, so I’ll still be gone most of the summer,” Claire said. 

So no one last summer romance before college for them, then. Probably for the best. “That’s awesome. I know you'll do great. 

“I guess.” 

Leon had hoped once she made the decision to go, she would feel better about it. He didn’t want her to be miserable, but he also knew she was going to do great things. He didn’t want to be the person who held her back. 

Across the lawn, he saw two figures heading in their direction and Leon knew his time was up, their time was up. “I should leave you to it.” 

“Yeah...” 

Leon shifted so he could look into her eyes, putting a finger under her chin. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Claire said, her eyes watery. Leon leaned in to kiss her. They didn’t have time for the kiss he wanted to give her, but he tried to put all his love and care into that soft press of lips. 

“Bye, Claire,” he said, placing another quick kiss before standing up, Claire following suit. 

“Bye, Leon,” Claire said, pulling him in for a hug, her arms going around his neck. Leon wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in the crook of her neck, careful not to jostle their hats too much; not that it mattered anymore. 

As the sound of the other two drew closer, Leon pulled away. He squeezed her hand once with a sad smile before he left her alone. 

X 

“Claire! What on earth-” 

“You okay?” Chris interrupted their dad, putting his hands on Claire’s shoulders. 

Claire gave him a teary nod. “I’m okay, or I will be.” She thought about telling him all the reasons she couldn’t go up there, but he gave her an encouraging smile. He understood. 

“Let’s go get you some ice cream. You want ice cream?” 

“I’m not a kid anymore. You can’t bribe me with ice cream,” Claire said with a small laugh. 

“Sure I can,” Chris grinned. “You want ice cream?”

Claire thought about denying him again, but frankly, life had been hard lately, and being a kid and letting her brother buy her ice cream sounded great. “Okay, yeah, let’s go get ice cream.” 

“We can’t go get ice cream. You have to get back in there,” Dad ordered, still flustered.

Chris moved beside Claire, putting an arm around her shoulder while she looked up at their father. “Daddy, please don’t make me go back out there. I can’t- I can’t do it.” 

His face finally softened, before he let out a long-suffering sigh. “Let’s go get ice cream.” 

“Thank you,” she said, leaving Chris to hug her dad. 

“Of course,” he said, hugging her back. “I love you Claire Bear. I’m not going to pretend I understand you, but I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Claire said. 

“Let’s go get that ice cream.” 

The three of them made their way towards the car. Claire spared one last glance at their tree, but Leon was long gone.

Chapter Text

September

Leon stood outside Rodrigo’s Auto Shop, psyching himself up to go inside. He’d given her a month. A month back in town. A month avoiding him. But he couldn't stand it any longer. He needed to see her, even if she just told him to fuck off.

He went inside. 

“Hey, Leon!” 

Leon stared at the teenager behind the counter, trying to place her. She knew who he was, but he struggled to place her until it hit him. “Sherry? What are you doing here?” 

“Claire got me the job. I work here after school a couple of days a week. Are you looking for her?”

“Yeah, actually. She here?”

“Yeah, give me a second.” Sherry opened the door to the back. “Claire! Somebody’s here for you.” Leon didn’t hear a response, but Sherry closed the door and returned to the desk. “She’ll be right out.” 

“Thanks, Sherry.” He waited; his eyes glued to the door. After a couple of minutes, it opened again, and there she was. As perfect as he remembered, grease smudged across her nose and everything, though the red coveralls were more form-fitting and less filthy than the ones from his memory. 

“Hey, how can I-Leon?” Claire’s customer service persona dropped into a deer-in-the-headlights look. 

Leon shoved his hands in his pocket. Everything he’d thought about saying out the window now he was face to face with her. “Hey, Claire.”

“What... what are you doing here?”

“I just-I wanted to see you.” 

“Well, you saw me.” 

Leon fumbled for anything coherent to say, unable to read the look on her face. He’d always been able to read the look on her face. 

“I heard you became a cop,” Claire supplied after a minute of him floundering. 

“Yeah,” Leon breathed. “I heard you got engaged.”

“And broke it off,” Sherry chimed in, earning her a glare from Claire. 

“Heard that too.” Hearing she’d gotten engaged destroyed him, but her breaking it off and moving back gave him the courage to reach out. 

“What do you want, Leon?” Claire asked, crossing her arms. 

“I was wondering if you want to hang out tonight? After your shift. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Maybe we could order Chinese food and watch a movie at my apartment?” 

Claire studied him for a moment, between her brows crinkling ever so slightly. “Okay,” she said, her face still neutral outside of a small quirk to the corner of her lip.

“It’s a date then,” Leon grinned. 

“A date, huh? Hanging out at your apartment’s a little presumptuous for a first date, don’t you think?” 

“Good thing it’s not a first date, then.” Leon didn’t want to get dinner or coffee. He didn’t want stilted conversations or weird catching up. He wanted 13-year-olds playing Mario. 16-year-olds making out, ignoring their homework spread out on the bed. 18-year-olds cuddled up talking about their futures. He wanted Claire, not pretending to be strangers. 

“Fair enough.” She handed him a notepad off the counter, ignoring Sherry’s shit-eating grin. “Write down your address. I get off at six. I can come over around seven?” 

Leon wrote down his address and handed the pad back to her. “Sounds like a plan. See you at seven.” 

“See you at seven,” Claire said, an actual smile taking over her face.

X

Claire stood outside the address on the paper, the front door taunting her. Moving back home had been a flurry of emotions without dealing with the Leon of it all; which was why she hadn’t yet. While she wasn’t exactly heartbroken over her called-off engagement, her whole life had been upturned in a matter of weeks. Going from planning a wedding and a life to sleeping in her childhood bed. 

It didn’t help everybody around her was moving forward: her dad was the police chief, and Chris had a new girlfriend that his life revolved around. Hell, even Leon was a cop now. The job helped her feel less like she was moving backward, but it had only been a couple of weeks and she was still getting into the routine of it. 

After standing outside too long, the door opened, Leon on the other side. “You planning on staying out here all night?” 

“Maybe,” Claire responded, crossing her arms. “What if I was?” 

“I mean, I guess if you’d enjoy that, have at it,” Leon said, leaning against the doorframe. “But I figured you were out here overthinking.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Claire looked up at him, feeling way too exposed by the simple chuckle and shake of his head. He saw right through her like it had been days since she’d seen him last, not years. She wished she had a dinosaur joke handy. 

“Well, I guess I’ll leave this open and you come in when you’re ready.” He turned, walking into the apartment, and leaving the door ajar. 

“I’m not staying out here,” Claire huffed, following him and shutting the door behind her.

They stood in the entryway, neither sure of what to say. Claire spent the last three years thinking about what she’d say if she saw him again, but none of it felt quite right. The man in front of her somehow the most familiar person in the world and a stranger. He wasn’t the lanky teenager anymore, a little bulkier, his features more defined, but he still had his hands in his pockets and an all too familiar shy smile. 

Tired of the silence, Claire decided on the simplest, truest statement for now. The rest could come later. “I miss-”   

“How’ve-” Leon spoke at the same time. “Sorry, you go first.” 

“No, you go first.” 

Leon rolled his eyes. “How’ve-”  

“I missed you,” Claire interrupted, biting back a grin. 

“You’re making me question how much I actually missed you .” 

“Shut up, you missed me.” 

Leon looked at her, really looked at her, a soft smile taking over his face. “Yeah, I did. So much.” 

Claire took a deep breath, the sincerity hitting her hard. “I-I missed you too.” 

“We already covered that.” 

“Right.” 

Claire didn’t know how to move past the awkwardness. How was she supposed to act around somebody who, at one point, had been her world? Who she compared every man to and found them lacking. It’d been okay at first, college full of plenty of people to keep her mind off of him, but her short-lived engagement caused it all to come rushing back. Every step of planning felt wrong with somebody else until ultimately she found herself sobbing on the floor of a boutique dressing room surrounded by tulle and lace. 

“Claire?” 

She looked up at him, unsure how long she’d been in her head. “Yeah?” 

“Can I kiss you?” 

“God yes.” 

Leon leaned in and cupped her cheeks, gently kissing her lips. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, all her anxiety, worry, and tension melting away in his embrace. “God, I missed you,” Leon breathed, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. 

“I thought we already covered that?” Claire grinned. 

Leon opened his mouth to say something, but shut it. Instead, he moved a hand to her hip, pulling her flush against him as he recaptured her lips, stirring up a different set of feelings.

“How presumptuous would it be to start the date in my room?” He asked, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. 

A part of her knew they should talk first. Figure out what they wanted before diving in headfirst, but some things were easier to figure out physically than with words. Get out the pent-up energy of three years without him, then figure out how to move forward. “Like you said, it’s not a first date.” 

X

Later that evening, they sat on Leon’s couch, Claire in one of his old t-shirts, her bare legs stretched out across his lap, eating Chinese food while watching Night of the Living Dead. He’d been unsure of how the night would go. Unsure if they could pick up where they’d left off, but he couldn't have imagined anything better. Honestly, if somebody asked teenage Leon what his life would look like, he probably could’ve described this exact moment. 

“So I heard you were in an illegal street racing group?” Leon asked as nonchalantly as possible for how insane the question was. 

“Sort of. I helped them with their cars but never raced. It was also a bunch of frat boys, so they weren’t particularly good, but they had the money for some sick-ass cars,” Claire grinned. “You keeping tabs on my criminal record, officer?” 

“That’s insane, and not keeping tabs per se, but I’ve looked it up a time or two,” Leon admitted. Charges hadn’t been pressed, but he’d still found the arrest report. 

“I heard you showed up on your first day hungover and late as fuck,” Claire said, taking a bite of her noodles. Of course, her retaliation was brutal. 

“I hate your brother,” Leon groaned, knocking his head back against the couch. 

“Awww don’t hate him. He actually kind of likes you,” Claire teased, before going quiet. Leon looked over at her and she met his gaze. “Heard it was a breakup?” 

“There was a breakup,” Leon admitted. The night burned into his memory. “But that’s not what caused it.” 

“Oh?” 

“I went up to the station the day before for some paperwork and heard about the engagement.” 

“Oh.” 

Hearing Claire was engaged killed him; the hope one day they’d come back together and figure things out gone. He’d been upset and already a couple of drinks in when he’d broken up with his girlfriend; a woman who he hadn’t loved, and who deserved better than the way he’d treated her. He didn’t remember much after that when he’d woken up on the floor of his bathroom, way past the time he was supposed to be at work. “I think your dad took true joy in yelling at me on day one.” 

“Oh, he did,” Claire said. “You being good at your job kills him.” 

“Figures.” 

“You know...” Claire started, taking a deep breath, and looking deep into her noodles. “Neil proposed at my surprise 21st birthday, in front of all of my friends and family. Which, first of all, 21st birthdays are for clubs and drinks with friends, not fancy friends and family parties.”

“Yeah, kind of dick move. Public proposals suck,” Leon said, trying to not fall into despair at the mention of Neil. 

“Thank you! Anyway, I’m at this party. I’m already grumpy and I hear about you joining the RPD,” Claire said, looking up at him. “Now, I’m grumpy, flustered and I can’t even get drunk on my birthday because my dad’s there and Neil gets down on one knee in front of everybody. I felt trapped, like I couldn’t say no, and so I didn’t.” 

Leon put his hand on her calf, caressing his thumb across it. “How upset was your dad when you called it off?”

“Disappointed for sure,” she said, a soft smile taking over her face. Claire leaned forward, and he met her in the middle for a quick kiss. “I missed you so much. Everybody else would have boohooed with me.” 

“No boohooing here,” Leon grinned.

X 

“How have things been with your dad?” Leon asked, taking a bite of his fried rice. 

“Tense,” Claire admitted. “Moving back home meant I had to tell him I dropped out of college.”

“Oof.”

“A year ago.” 

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah. I thought he was going to kick me out at first. Thankfully, he didn’t, but I still can’t wait to find an apartment.” 

“You didn’t think he’d eventually notice when you didn’t graduate?” Leon asked. 

“Ugh, no I just,” Claire groaned. “I kept meaning to tell him, but I didn’t want to tell him over the phone and the only time I ever saw him in person was for special occasions, and I didn’t want to ruin Christmas, or Father's Day, or my birthday. So I kept putting it off.” 

“He’ll come around,” Leon said. 

“He’s mostly gotten over the college thing, just not the lying to him for a year thing.”

“Well, that seems fair.”

“I guess.” Realistically, she knew it was fair, but if he hadn’t put so much pressure on her, she wouldn’t have been scared to tell him in the first place. 

“I have a crazy idea,” Leon said.

“Yeah?” 

“You should move in with me.” 

“You’re right. That is a crazy idea.” She didn’t hate the idea, but it caught her off guard. 

“Hear me out,” Leon said. “The way I see it, you got two options. Option one: you move in with me. Best-case scenario, we work out and we live happily ever after; worst-case scenario, we don't work out and you have to find a new apartment. We don't have to put your name on the lease or anything. You can move out whenever you want.” 

“And option two?” 

“Option two: you stay with your dad and spend the next few weeks to a few months looking for a new apartment. Best-case scenario, we work out, but you're stuck in that lease for the next year; worst-case scenario, we don't work out and you don't have to move.” 

Claire struggled to think of a counterargument. Sure, he’d only been back in her life a day, a few hours really, but the idea of having this every day was impossible to resist. And while it may be naïve, given her current circumstances, she couldn’t picture a world where they didn’t work out. “I guess when you lay it all out, it's hard to argue with.”

“Option one also has the added bonus of pissing your dad off.” 

“Oh, I do like that.”

“So?” 

The hopeful puppy dog look Leon gave her was tempting enough, but she forced herself to consider everything. They still had a lot they needed to talk about and address. She’d gotten over most of what happened their senior year. Understanding most of it was out of their control, and being dumb teenagers making up for the rest. Still, some resentment lingered, especially since they hadn’t talked in three years. Three years was a long time, considering it was their first few years of adulthood. There was so much she didn't know about the man in front of her, and vice versa. She wondered how much he’d thought this through. Would he regret it once she was in his space all the time? 

“Claire?” 

She met his gaze, forcing herself to hold steady instead of looking away, her resolve strengthening. It wouldn’t necessarily be easy, but after three years of hookups, boyfriends, and a whole-ass fiance, she could confidently say nobody made her feel the way Leon did. She’d felt safer and more like herself that evening than she had since high school. As cliched and gross as it was, being there with Leon felt like coming home. The rest could be sorted out later. “I'll move in with you.”

“Yeah?” Leon asked, his face lighting up. 

“Yeah,” Claire smiled back. “You really think you won’t get tired of me?”

“Never,” Leon grinned. 

X

“Should be the last of ‘em,” Leon said, adding the box to the stack, the boxes taking up half his living room. 

Claire wrapped her arms around his middle and smiled up at him. “You ready for me to be here all the time?” 

“Beyond ready,” Leon said, kissing her forehead. It’d been a week since they’d decided she would move in, a wonderful week of Claire being back in his life. They’d spent as much time together as they could between Claire's packing and their busy work schedules, Claire already having spent pretty much every night there. 

Moving in together felt less crazy with every passing day, the pieces of their life clicking back into place with ease. He didn’t know how he’d spent three years without her, though he was pretty sure the space had been good for them, giving them the chance to figure out who they were without each other. The fact they still worked so well reaffirmed this was where they belonged. 

“I love you,” Claire said, reaching up to kiss him. 

“I love you too.” Leon couldn't wait to get their lives started, to make this little apartment a home.