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Chapter Text

“You’ve got this.” Luis said, gripping Leon's shoulders and giving them a firm squeeze to instill confidence in him. 

“I've got this.” Leon repeated, taking a deep breath, “Nothing to be worried about.” 

“Absolutely nothing.” Luis insisted, letting go of Leon's shoulders and walking in front of him so that he could get a good look at the handsome man he was about to send off to his first day of work. He smiled ear to ear when Leon's eyes shyly darted away, as they always did when Luis got close. Six months of dating and he still acted that way—Luis found it to be adorable, “You know…” Luis said, placing his hand on Leon's cheek and gently moving his face so that he could no longer avoid eye contact, “You look muy guapo in your uniform.” He said with a cheeky little wink, which made Leon smile, a small, shaky little smile that he wore when Luis complimented him. A smile just for Luis, the Spaniard had never seen Leon give that sort of smile to anyone else. 

Heart thoroughly squeezed, Luis pulled Leon into his arms and hugged him tightly, taking in his warmth and the smell of his cologne, “Oh, my good-looking boy.” Luis whispered, “I'm so proud of you.” 

Leon laughed softly and hugged Luis back, “Thank you, baby.” 

The two of them stayed in that embrace for a few minutes before Leon broke away, “I've got to get going.” He said, leaning in and placing a soft kiss against Luis' lips. Luis smiled against Leon's lips and leaned into the kiss, prolonging it, although he knew he shouldn't. Leon did have to go…

Minutes later, Leon pulled away to catch his breath, a big grin on his face, “You miss me already don't you?” He asked. 

Luis chuckled, “I do.” He sighed, “But I have to send you off.” 

“I'll be back at nine, okay?” Leon said, “Let's make that salmon in the freezer when I get back, if we keep holding off on it, it'll go bad.” 

“Oh don't you worry, I'll have dinner on the table for you.” Luis promised. 

“You don't have to cook by yourself, Luis.” Leon said, frowning. While Luis did offer, he didn't want his boyfriend to think that he was obligated to make dinner just because he would be home first.

“Ay, corazón.” Luis lightly scolded him, “Don't you have to get going to work?” 

“You're trying to distract me.” 

“Yes, I am. Now get going.” Luis said, walking behind Leon and slapping his butt. Leon yelped softly in surprise, lurching forward. 

“Geez, okay, okay. I'm going.” Leon walked towards the door, grabbing his keys and twirling them on his finger before catching them in his palm, “I love you!” He called from the doorway. 

“I love you too, Officer Kennedy.” Luis said playfully, giving Leon a wink. Leon smiled at his words before finally stepping out the door, shutting it behind him. 

Luis lingered where he stood for just a moment before turning and walking back into their bedroom. He had to be to work soon, himself, though he was thankful he didn't have to work a twelve hour shift like Leon did. 

“You better go easy on him, RPD.” Luis said softly as he got dressed for work, “I love him.” 

—-

Leon was a mix of nerves and excitement as he entered the doors of the Raccoon City Police Department. It was a beautiful, vast building on the outside, but from the inside, it was even more spectacular. It was bustling with officers and civilians alike, going about their business in the large, elegant building adorned with gorgeous tiling on the floor and a massive statue in the middle of the room, proudly holding up a flag and looking just as stoic as she was gorgeous. The whole place was beautiful to Leon, even if he had so far only seen the lobby, he was sure it was all so beautiful. 

What was decidedly not beautiful, however, was the stack of paperwork he was met with as soon as he got to his desk. And above that, his desk was also locked, two letter combination locks barring his way from cutting into the pile of papers he was assigned for the day. If he didn't start soon, there was no way he'd get them all done by the end of his shift. 

His coworkers were not making it easy for him, while they held no malice for him (that much was obvious by the cute little banner above his desk welcoming him to the force) they sure wanted to test him, not telling him their last names which he needed to unlock the combination locks. He had to figure it out for himself. 

“No one will stop you from looking at their paperwork if you ask, but please, don't interrupt their work for too long.” Lieutenant Marvin Branagh had told him when he informed him of the puzzle as he showed Leon the way to the office. 

And Leon hadn't kept anyone from their work, not yet, atleast. He stood patiently beside a woman who had noticed his presence, but hadn't greeted him, knowing he was going to ask for a clue as to what her name was. Frustratingly for Leon, she had covered her first name on her name plate, the last name ‘Phillips’ being all Leon could discern, “Excuse me, Officer Phillips.” Leon finally spoke up as he watched her add the latest finished piece of paper to her pile. 

“Rookie.” She said, “How can I help you?” She asked, not looking up at him. Leon couldn't tell if that was just her personality, or if she was just trying to play along with the objective of the puzzle. 

“I'm sure you're aware of my desk being locked-” 

“I'm not going to give you the combination.” She interrupted him. 

“Oh, I know. I'm not going to ask you for that, I was just wondering if I could take a look at your paperwork to see if I could find your first name in it. Lieutenant Branagh told me that would be a good place to start.” Leon explained. 

The woman gave him a funny look before her face shifted, looking to remember something, “Well, unfortunately, you being a rookie, I can't allow you to look at my paperwork, you don't have the clearance. I'm glad you asked me first, because the boys would have made fun of you." She shook her head, "Marvin was kidding with you, rookie.” 

Leon's face fell, “Oh.” His cheeks reddened with embarrassment, “Geez, with how serious he seems, I wasn't expecting-” 

“Him to play around with you? Yeah, he's done that with all of the rookies. He may seem like a straight forward, serious guy, but he's got a sense of humor, that's for sure.” Rita explained, hoping that Leon would hold no ill-will for Lieutenant Branagh. 

“Well, I guess I am pretty glad I talked to you first, though I can sure handle some fun being poked at me, my boyfriend has made sure of that.” Leon smiled as he fondly recalled past moments with Luis in which the Spaniard gleefully kidded around with him, Leon always played along because Luis was never mean about it, it was always in the spirit of good fun. 

“Well I'm glad to hear you've got thick skin, because the officers here sure like to play around rather than getting any work done.” Officer Phillips said, raising her voice so that the man across the desk from her could hear, her words clearly being a slight at him. In response, he simply shot his middle finger up over the desk, high and proud so that Officer Phillips could see it. She laughed and promptly flipped him off in return, then turned back to Leon, “Tell you what, Rookie, I'll let you guess the first letter of my name. If you can guess, I'll tell you and save you the headache of trying to figure it out.” 

“How many guesses do I get?” Leon asked, hoping she'd say twenty-six. 

“Three.” She said, laying the pressure on Leon, who's eyes widened. 

“Three?” 

Instead of responding, Phillips held up three fingers, telling Leon it was time to start guessing, “Uh…’H’.” He guessed, picturing named like ‘Hannah’, or ‘Hailey’ because he reasoned they fit the last name of ‘Phillips’ well enough. 

“Nope.” Phillips said, putting down one finger. 

“Uh…” Leon thought hard about his second guess, fearing that with the plethora of possibilities, only having two more guesses did not put him in a favorable situation, “...’L’?” He asked, having names such as ‘Lily’, ‘Lana’, or ‘Liz’ in mind.

Unfortunately, none of those were right, as she put another finger down, leaving only one finger, one guess, for Leon to use. Leon cursed in his head, his chances of guessing even lower now, “Um, let's see…” He thought hard, Phillips just about being able to see the gears in his head turning. He tried to think of women's names that he didn't hear too often on the off chance that she had a rare name, perhaps she did given she told him to only guess the letter and not the full name. He didn't dare guess anything like a ‘X’, ‘Q’, ‘Y’, or ‘Z’ though, he had a feeling those were far too uncommon to be it.

 Ultimately, he realized that the possibilities were far too many, and he had no other option than to simply guess a completely random letter, “Um…’R’?” 

This time, instead of putting a finger down, Rita raised all of them back up, then she put her hands together and quietly clapped, “Nice one, Rookie. I didn't think you'd get it.” She grinned proudly at Leon's accomplishment. 

“I got it?” He asked, “Wow. That was a really lucky guess.” Leon couldn't help but beam. 

“Well, remember, in law enforcement, we don't operate on guesses. Just facts and evidence, alright?” 

“Of course.” Leon nodded, turning down his enthusiasm just a hair, “So what is your first name?” He asked. He only needed the first letter, but he wanted to learn her name anyway, as well as the name of everyone in the station, even the people he wouldn't often interact with. 

“It's Rita.” She gave up the name, “Don't wear it out, I prefer Phillips anyway.” 

“Okay, I'll keep that in mind.” Leon smiled, “Thank you, Phillips.” 

“Don't mention it, Rookie. Now go and get the rest of those names. Good luck.” 

Leon nodded with a determined look on his face before turning on his heel and heading off to a different officer's desk. 

—---

Luis' foot tapped rapidly under his desk as he typed away at his computer. Despite his antsyness, he was always one to get his work done quickly and efficiently. However, his tapping did not go unnoticed, “Something the matter, Doctor Serra?” An intern asked…Luis, regretfully, hadn't learned his name yet despite this being the fifth day in a row that he had brought him coffee. Luis felt horrible about it, considering he himself had only been at the Raccoon City chapter of Umbrella for the last handful of days, having requested a transfer so he could live with Leon. 

“Oh, no. Nothing's wrong.” Luis took the coffee that the intern handed him, giving him a small nod as a thank you, “Just thinking, that's all.” 

“About?” One of Luis' coworkers suddenly chimed in as she entered Luis' office, the automatic door sliding closed behind her. That was someone Luis did know the name of, Joy Darcy. She had been a pain in his neck since he started working at the Raccoon City chapter. She never seemed to be doing her job, instead neglecting her work to walk around and gossip. Luis was already sick of it. 

“Oh, Joy.” Luis greeted her, trying to come across as friendly, she had seniority, after all, and more than that, Luis didn't want to come across as an ass at his new place of work, “Its nothing.” By then, the intern had already snuck out of the room—good on him, Luis wished he could do the same. 

“Oh, come on Dr. Serra, don't be a stranger.” Joy said, taking a seat on Luis' desk, nearly knocking a snow globe Leon had bought Luis off. He quickly grabbed the object and put it on the other side of the desk, trying not to look pissed off about her carelessness. 

“I have work to do, Joy, as I'm sure you do.” Luis said, tone polite and business-forward, like he knew he had to be. He was a very friendly guy, and he even liked a good bout of gossip himself, but his work was something that he was very serious about, he didn't enjoy having it be interrupted—and he was already distracted enough with what was on his mind. 

“I'm on my lunch break, and you are too.” Joy said, pointing to the clock on Luis' computer, which revealed that it was indeed lunch time. Luis sighed, knowing with that, he had no more room to politely decline. 

“Okay, then. Let's go get lunch.” He said, talking off his glasses and hooking them on the collar of his shirt. 

“Oh? Are you inviting me to come along?” Joy asked, as if she wasn't just going to follow Luis anyway. 

“Sure.” Luis relented, “Fine.” 

—----

Leon was mentally exhausted by the time he had both combinations. 

‘MRG’ He dialed into one, pulling it open. ‘NED’ for the other (he had himself a small chuckle that one of the combinations ended up being a first name in of itself). Finally having his desk open, Leon got to work, picking up the papers and setting them down, picking up his pen and holding it at the ready, “Here we go.” He glanced over at the clock to see that it was already Ten in the morning, he had been at work for an hour and had no work done to show for it, “Time to get to work.” 

Leon fancied himself a fast worker, zipping through the pile of paperwork. He wasn't a half-asser, though, he made sure to thoroughly read the pages and sign them with his signature as neat and uniform as possible. People always did their best work on their first day, but Leon intended to work at his very best every day until he was promoted to, hopefully, head detective someday. He could only dream, but boy, did he dream. 

Luis had heard all about his plans of working his ass off to meet his goal, and even if it took years, Leon insisted that being a cop was his calling for the time being. Being a detective could wait, he assured Luis, Leon made sure to expressly add that no matter what, he wouldn't give up on his dream. He would be the head Detective of the RPD. Of course, Luis provided him with utmost encouragement like the good boyfriend he was. 

Leon thought about Luis as he worked, a soft, affectionate smile settling on his face despite the monotony of the paperwork. 

He worked for a solid hour until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He set down his pen and immediately turned around to see Marvin Branagh standing behind him, “How goes it, Rookie?” He asked. 

“Good, sir. It shouldn't be too long now until I can ask the lady at the secretary's desk for another stack.” Leon said proudly, gesturing to a nearly finished stack of papers. 

“That lady is Ms. Brown, make sure to learn her name, son.” Marvin warned, “She's a no-nonsense type of woman.” 

“Right.” Leon nodded, “I'll keep that in mind, sir.” 

“How long until you can take a break, Rookie?” Marvin suddenly asked just as Leon thought the conversation was over. 

“Uh, I could take one right now, if I need to.” Leon said, “Why is something the matter, Lieutenant?” 

Marvin shook his head, “It's nothing serious, I just wanted to take you for a tour of the building considering it's gonna be your second home from now on.” 

“Oh.” Leon was surprised to hear that, “You, sir?” 

“Yes, Rookie, me. I'm not a fan of shilling my work off onto other people.” Marvin joked, “At most stations, a lower ranking officer would give a tour, but I try and take it upon myself when new-comers join.” Marvin explained. 

“That's kind of you, sir.” Leon smiled, standing up.

“Ah, well, I try not to be too much of a hard ass. Atleast, not when there's nothing of importance happening. Just know, though, that I have every intention of working you to the bone once you get settled here.” 

Leon took that as a challenge and smiled, “Right. Of course, sir.” 

—----

“So what had you all jittery in your office?” Joy asked, stabbing her fork into her meal. There was a computerized voice that talked a great deal about providing Umbrella employees with the best nutrition, but Luis had never thought that was true in his time of working for the corporation. It was better than most work-provided food, though, he had to assume.

Luis held back a sigh, knowing Joy would insist on knowing until he finally told her, “My boyfriend started his first day at work.” He said, “I'm just nervous for him, that's all.” 

“Oh?” Joy asked, not looking perturbed in the slightest that Luis wasn't single. Luis was glad to see that. While he had been a ladies man most of his life, as soon as he met Leon, he had eyes for absolutely no one else, and he didn't particularly like when people hit on him nowadays, “Well, I can understand that. My wife-to-be got hired at a new law-firm recently, and she's been swamped with work, so have I. There's not really been any time for us to check in on each other and, you know, just be amongst ourselves.” 

That…wasn't exactly what Luis was thinking, but he supposed it wasn't all-too dissimilar to his and Leon's circumstances. After all, their schedules were far different nowadays, not to mention, Leon was an on-call officer, and could be pulled away from home at the ring of a phone. It was going to be difficult to get used to once Leon was more settled into his job, but the couple was determined to take it easy and naturally fall into a new work-life balance without stressing themselves out too much about it, “I wasn't aware you were engaged. When's the wedding?” 

Joy smiled ear to ear at the question, “In September!” She said, “On the 30th, I can't wait!” 

“Only nine months away.” Luis commented, “That's pretty soon, I'm sure it's an exciting time for both you and your fiancé.” He smiled at Joy, something he didn't think he would find himself doing. Perhaps it wasn't too bad when she was talking about her own business and not someone else's. 

“It sure is!” Joy beamed, pulling out her wallet, “You've just got to let me show you a picture of her.” She insisted, sliding a Polaroid photo from one of the pockets and handing it to Luis. Luis looked at the photo, seeing the image of a pretty woman smiling like it was her favorite thing to do. It was nice to see. 

“Yes, she's very beautiful.” Luis said, handing the photo back, “How did you meet?” 

“Oh! Let me tell you all about it!” Joy nearly shouted, embarrassing Luis a bit, but he supposed he couldn't be too hard on her. He knew exactly what it was like to be so in love that he didn't know what to do without himself. 

—---

Leon tried his very best to keep from gawking at everything in the RPD. It was just, sincerely, a beautiful building. Of course it was, it was a former art museum, but even past that, it was beautiful in that there was so much life in it. Throughout the entire building, around every corner, there was a friendly officer to say ‘hello’ to the new rookie. Leon was more confident than ever in his decision to go to the RPD rather than join the police force of a major city. With his marks in the academy, he really could have gone wherever he wanted, but he had felt drawn to little, quiet, Raccoon City. And it seemed that the universe was even more so on his side, considering that Luis was able to come with him and easily find work at a different branch of the company he worked at. It seemed that all of Leon's years of being kind, respectful, and confident in himself paid off in full. 

“What'd you think, Rookie?” Marvin asked as the two of them made their way to the S.T.A.R.S office, the last stop on their tour. 

“Well, the building is just breathtaking.” Leon mused, “And everyone here seems so friendly.” 

“Everyone, huh?” Marvin asked, “I don't think you'll be of that opinion after you meet the captain of S.T.A.R.S.” 

“Albert Wesker, sir?” 

“The very man.” 

“Oh. I'd never heard of him being rude before.” 

“That's because you've probably only heard about his accomplishments.” Marvin said, opening the door for Leon, “Just make sure not to get on his bad side, he's scarier than me.” 

Leon gave Marvin a funny look, because, really, the Lieutenant hadn't come across as mean at all. 

As soon as the two men stepped into the room, everyone stopped talking and looked over in Leon's direction, giving him curious looks. It seemed that the S.T.A.R.S office didn't receive many visitors. 

“How's it going, Marvin?” A stocky man with short brown hair stood up from his chair and reached for the Lieutenant's hand, giving him a good, firm handshake. 

“It's going.” Marvin said, “Good to see you, Chris.” 

Leon stayed quiet as the men greeted each other, keeping himself out of the way so as to not make his presence too obvious and awkward. Thankfully, he didn't have to play invisible long, as the same man, Chris, noticed him, “Hey, is this that new rookie? Uh, what was his name…?” 

“Leon S. Kennedy.” Leon introduced himself, reaching out his hand for a handshake. The man gave him a courteous smile and shook his hand, his grip nearly crushing. Leon had to keep back a pained noise. Jesus, this dude clearly didn't know his own strength. But he seemed nice enough. 

“Chris Redfield.” He introduced himself, “How about I introduce you to the rest of my team?” He asked, and Leon was delighted he'd done so. 

“That sounds-” Before Leon could finish his sentence, Chris had grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him over to the rest of the team. 

Marvin chuckled from where he stood, “Babysit the Rookie for a minute, Chris. I've got to get back to work.”

“You got it, Marvin.” Chris said, giving the man a cheeky salute, which Marvin returned before exiting the room. As Leon watched the Lieutenant leave, he hoped that he remembered how to get back to his desk. 

But anyway, he had people to meet. So Leon turned his attention to the woman sitting at the desk Chris had dragged him to, “Jill, meet the new rookie. His names Leon.” 

Jill was busy clacking away at her computer, and she looked as if she was just going to ignore him, but just as Leon was about to give up on the greeting, she pressed one last key, sending the email she had been typing, and turned to Leon, smiling at him. Oh, so she was just a very work-oriented person, Leon could understand that, “Jill Valentine.” She said, reaching out her hand to him. Leon took her hand, and to his surprise, her grip was harsher than Chris’. Jesus! What were they feeding these S.T.A.R.S folks? 

“Nice to meet you, Ma’am.” 

“Oh, gross. Don't call me Ma’am. Just call me Jill.” 

“Sorry, Jill.” 

“Way better. Take care, Leon.” With that short interaction, she turned back to her computer. Leon definitely couldn't say that she wasn't at least a little friendly. 

Chris then lead Leon over to a short, very young-looking woman with short, brown hair, who seemed happy to see him, “Hello, there.” She said before Chris could speak. Chris frowned, thunder sufficiently stolen, “I'm Rebecca Chambers.” She introduced herself. The handshake she offered Leon was firm, but far less crushing than the other two, he was grateful for the reprieve, “Sorry, but I'm needed in the dining hall—rouge fork incident, I suppose.” She grabbed her first aid kit off the wall and walked past Chris and Leon, “Good to meet you, Leon!” 

“Likewise.” Leon said with a nod. She was very pleasant, Leon hoped to get to speak to her longer when she had more time. 

“Everyone else is out right now, unfortunately.” Chris said, “Or I'd gladly introduce you to everyone.” 

“Oh, that's alright. I work here now.” Leon chuckled, “So I'll have plenty of opportunity to see everyone around.” 

“Well, yeah.” Chris looked downtrodden, “But I like introducing people.” 

Leon smiled humorously, “Then I'll just make sure to let people know that they need the special Chris-Redfield-introduction for me to get to know them.” Leon joked. 

Chris responded to Leon's playfulness with a hearty clap on the shoulder, “Funny guy.” He said, chuckling, “Come around here more often.” He said, “My coworkers can be so…” he glanced over at Jill, “Drab.” He said. Jill, in response, flipped Chris off. It was the second time Leon had seen two officers do so to each other, perhaps that was RPD office culture. Whatever it was, it was certainly amusing both times. 

Chris brushed the gesture off and turned back to Leon, “Have you heard the horror stories about my boss yet?” Chris asked, keeping his voice low. Leon could only assume that he did so because said man was in his office at the moment and could surely hear everything being said. 

“Not anything in particular.” Leon said, glancing over at the Captain's door and back to Chris, “Is he as bad as people say?” 

“Worse.” Chris said immediately, cringing, “Way worse. He's the tool of all tools—he's the whole damn box.” 

“I'm not particularly concerned with what you think of me, Chris.” A voice with a strange accent suddenly sounded from over Chris' shoulder. Chris' blood ran cold as he jumped in surprise, not having heard the man coming at all. 

“Captain!” Chris shouted, standing at attention. The man, Albert Wesker, cringed and waved his hand at Chris, as if trying to shoo him away like a bothersome fly, “Pipe down, would you?” He chided, “You can have whatever opinion on me you like, but don't go sharing it around to people who have never so much as been acquainted with me.” 

Chris, who had seemed very large before, seemed so small in Wesker’s presence, “Yes sir.” He said before walking away and taking a seat at his desk, keeping his head low. 

This man, this Albert Wesker, was far more intimidating than Leon had imagined. Although he hadn't said one harsh word to Leon yet, Leon himself felt scored. He nearly felt the inclination to get out of the man's sight, but at the same time, the man's authoritative demeanor made Leon stand still and look attentive, though making eye contact, he found that to be quite difficult. 

“My apologies for my bone-headed coworker.” Albert apologized, not really sounding all that sincere, “I'm sure you know, but my name is Captain Wesker.” He said, reaching out his hand for a handshake, “You may call me Wesker, if that's easier for you.” 

Nope. Leon was definitely sticking to Captain Wesker, “Nice to meet you, sir.” Leon said, taking Wesker's hand for a handshake that was much lighter than he thought it would be. It was still firm, but it was far, far less brutish than Jill and Chris'. It almost seemed practiced in a way, as if he had shaken many a hand in his life and had grown quite accustomed to the action. Leon guessed that was just what came with his line of work and his rank. Leon wondered how many hands he would have to shake when he became head detective, “I'm Leon S. Kennedy.” Leon introduced himself, “It's my first day here.” 

“Oh, well in that case, I hope that you have found the RPD to be to your liking.” 

“It's very nice.” Leon said, “They couldn't have picked a nicer building.” 

“Indeed.” Wesker held his hands together in front of himself in a way that reminded Leon of regal men from period dramas. Actually, not only that, but his way of talking was quite reminiscent of such too. What a strange man, “I hope there is a long, successful career ahead of you, Officer Kennedy. Good luck to you.” Wesker's words were very kind, but there was absolutely no warmth to them, it was pretty unsettling. 

“Thank you, Captain Wesker.” 

“You best be off then.” Wesker said, turning on his heel and heading back in the direction of his office, “I'm sure Lieutenant Branagh has imposed much work upon you.” 

Oh shit. He was right about that, Leon had so much more work to do. He glanced down at his watch to see that it was now noon. Damnit! He'd let so much time pass out from under him. 

Leon said a quick goodbye to Chris and Jill before heading out the door and finding his way back to his desk. 

—----

Luis and Joy were done with lunch and already headed back to Luis office by the time Joy finished her story about how she and her fiancé had met. While it was a very cute story, there were plenty of details that she very well could have left out. 

“It sounds like you two were meant to be.” Luis said. He was a gentleman and did listen to the entire story, but he wasn't about to lie to himself and say he enjoyed the entire thing. However, now that it was over, he could finally get back to work. He stepped through the automatic door leading into his office and sat in his seat, cracking his knuckles before slipping his glasses back on and booting his computer back up. 

Just when Luis thought he would have a moment of peace, Joy sat back down on the corner of his desk. Luis fought everything not to facepalm, “Can I help you, Joy?” He asked, his patience wearing thin. 

“I just wanted to know how you and your boyfriend met.” She said, picking up a small, framed picture of Luis and Leon together and admiring it, “You make a cute couple, that's for sure.” Luis wanted to take the photo from her and ask her not to touch it, it was very precious to him, but he knew she meant no harm, so he let it slide. Perhaps she really wasn't being all that annoying, and Luis was just on edge, but at the moment, it seemed like everything she did was in an attempt to piss him off. 

“I'd like to get back to work…” Luis glanced over at Joy to see a very insistent look on her face, and he knew that he wouldn't be rid of her until he told the story, “Okay.” He relented, “But I really need to get back to work after this.” 

“Of course.” 

“Alright, it was a little less than a year ago…” 

—--

Luis had been quite proud of the position he made for himself in life. He graduated both highschool and college early, having his PhD in Biochemistry by the age of Twenty, and a very good job offering, fresh out of college. 

Being an employee of Umbrella for a year and some months, Luis, at the age of Twenty-one, had it very good in life on all accounts…except for one thing: his love life. 

He wasn't exactly hurting on hook-ups, he had plenty of those (literally) under his belt, but what he had in sexual experience, he lacked in meaningful connection. He was a romantic at heart, no matter how much his playboy exterior made him out to be nothing more than someone who slept around. Yes, those nights of carnal pleasure were lovely in their own regard, but Luis wanted something more. He wanted a partner that he wouldn't feel inclined to leave before morning, someone who he could hold and cherish without sex being the only thing on the table. 

Turns out, Leon S. Kennedy, who was finishing up his time in the police academy at with high marks, was also searching for love, though his luck was far more rotten than Luis’. He was a beautiful man, that much was apparent to anyone who saw him, but he was hardly smooth. When people threw signs right at his feet, he was more inclined to reach down, pick them up, and inform the person that they had dropped them rather than responding to them in any way that would lead to something more. It wasn't his fault he had difficulty picking up on the many confusing cues and signals people gave off. That being so, his case wasn't helped in the slightest. 

The two lonely men likely never would have met if it weren't for a chance encounter. 

They were actually living a door down from each other at the same apartment complex for months and had never crossed paths before, nor did they even know each other's names. 

The two of them just so happened to be returning home at the same time, and that's where it had all begun.

“Oh, nice to finally meet you, neighbor.” Leon commented, surprising Luis, who didn't expect for Leon to talk to him. It wasn't unwelcome, however, Luis was a very social man.

“Same to you.” Luis said, “Say, what's your name?” 

“Leon S. Kennedy.” Leon introduced himself, “I like your accent.” He added, making Luis smile, he quite liked his own accent, himself. 

“Gracias.” He said, “I'm Luis. Encantado.”

From there, the two men carried on a conversation that neither of them had expected to be so prolonged, it just seemed that neither of them could get enough of each other's little stories and anecdotes, even if it did mean they had been standing in the hallway for about an hour. Neither man had been conscious of the time until another neighbor slammed open their door and yelled at the two of them to pipe down. 

That was where the two of them likely should have said their goodbyes and gone back to being strangers…but the both of them couldn't help but want to keep being in each other's company. 

The both of them wanted to invite each other into their respective apartments, but that was likely too sudden and too far for either of them, so they both neglected to ask, saying their goodbyes and turning back to their own doors, keys in hand. 

“Can I have your number?” Both men suddenly asked in unison before either could enter their apartments. 

And from the moment they exchanged numbers, there wasn't a day that passed in which they weren't calling each other, asking one another about their days and learning little things about each other with every conversation. Favorite foods, movies, hobbies, interests. Both men held on to every new thing learned about the other, cherishing the information for no other reason than the enjoyment of getting to know someone.

It gradually got to the point in which the two of them were meeting up in person, grabbing lunch when the both of them were free, swinging by each other's places for dinner. Leon much preferred Luis' apartment to his own, it being better decorated. With his time mostly spent at the academy, Leon didn't have much time for decorating. Not to mention, he didn't have much of an artistic eye. He was hardly ashamed of his place, however, Luis had been over there many times and had never said anything negative about it. Leon liked to believe it was because he had a nice apartment and not because Luis was too kind to speak out about it. 

Truly, if Luis' didn't like Leon's apartment, he surely would have said something about it. Luis was one to speak his mind, he would never word anything harshly, but he certainly wouldn't hold back either. Leon deeply appreciated his honesty and uncompromising personality. In a sea of fake people, Luis was a refreshing change of the tide. 

That's why Leon couldn't get enough of seeing and talking to Luis, and Leon was almost certain Luis at least somewhat felt the same way, because he seemed just as enthusiastic to be around Leon. 

However comfortable they had grown with each other in their months of friendship, there was still something unsaid between the two of them. Something they both felt strongly, but were uncertain if it were reciprocated. 

They both really liked each other. Like, really. Call it a crush or infatuation, call it intrigue or attraction, or call it all of those things, but both men were head over heels for each other. 

Luis had every intention of telling Leon, he wasn't one to keep his feelings a secret, but something had stopped him, stripped him of his confidence. 

It was that Leon didn't seem to be romantically interested in him at all. And Luis, who thought highly of himself, would not have thought someone wasn't attracted to him if they gave off any signs. The issue was that Leon didn't give any signs whatsoever! The only thing Luis could latch onto was that Leon seemed to thoroughly enjoy being around him, but even so, that wasn't always a romantic inclination. 

But, even if Leon didn't reciprocate Luis' feelings, Luis still wanted him around. He could settle for friendship if that meant getting to see that smiling, sort-of-awkward-but-in-a-cute-way, future officer standing outside his door. He was content to keep his feelings to himself forever if he could stay friends with him. 

But something threatened that. 

Leon had arrived at Luis' door looking downtrodden, though there was a curious glimmer of happiness in his eyes it seemed he was trying hard to suppress, “Leon.” Luis said, taken aback because no meeting between them had been planned for the day, “It's good to see you. Is something wrong?” 

Leon's eyes darted to Luis, then to the floor, back to Luis, into Luis' apartment, and then back to Luis, “Can I…come in?” He asked. 

“Of course.” Luis opened the door wider and ushered Leon in. The blonde, strangely enough, hesitated a moment before entering the apartment. 

The two men made their way over to the couch, where they both sat, facing each other, knees nearly touching, “What's going on, Leon?” Luis asked, concern in his voice. 

“I have to tell you something…you aren't gonna want to hear it.” Leon said, voice small. He looked to be internally battling himself about something Luis couldn't discern. What was it? Luis wanted to know more than anything so that he could do something, anything, to make Leon happy again. 

“Try me.” Luis insisted, “I'm listening.” 

Leon glanced up at Luis before looking back down at his clasped hands, his leg bouncing with nervous energy, “I graduate from the academy next week.” 

“I know!” Luis beamed, “You've told me, I'm so excited for yo-” 

“Please, just listen.” Leon interrupted Luis, which wasn't like him, so it took the Spaniard aback. He shut his mouth and fixed his expression to something more neutral in an attempt to ease Leon's nerves…it didn't help. Leon sighed heavily before continuing, “I…I'm not going to be an officer of the local police department.” Leon said, only to Luis' confusion. 

“The next town over, then?” Luis asked. 

“No. Not there. Not anywhere around here.” 

“Why? Are you going to commute?” 

“Luis.” 

“Why would you want to work so far away from home-” 

“I'm moving.” Leon finally said, and for a second, Luis' brain couldn't process what those words meant. He translated them to Spanish in his head, but even then, it was like they had been deleted from his vocabulary. 

“¿Perdón?”

“Luis.” Leon's eyes suddenly glistened, and seeing such, Luis instantly came back to his senses and no longer needed Leon to repeat himself, but he did anyway, “Luis, I'm moving away.” 

The sentence was like some sort of sudden, onset affliction. It made Luis feel cold, but unbearably hot at the same time, as if the news had been far too much for his nervous system to handle, “Oh.” Was all Luis could say, because he really couldn't get anything else out. 

Leon gave the man a funny look, “Oh?”

The look Leon gave him snapped Luis out of his momentary shock, “I mean, no, I- I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that.” He searched in Leon's eyes for any sudden sign that the blonde hated him, but he saw nothing, nothing but sadness mixed with happiness. Happiness about what? He was moving away, what did he have to be happy about? 

And then it hit Luis, and it hit him hard. Leon was happy because he was moving to embark on his career, the one that he had excitedly, passionately, lovingly ranted about countless times to Luis, and all Luis could do was think of himself. 

Dios mio. Luis thought to himself, because, really, he couldn't think much else. 

After a beat of silence, Luis spoke up again, “Where…?” He asked. 

“Raccoon City.” 

“All the way there?” Luis asked in shock. That was several states away, “May I ask why?” 

“Because.” Leon began, “It just felt right to me. I don't know how else to explain it.” Once again, his eyes darted around, as if he felt guilty for prioritizing himself and not his friendship with Luis. Luis would not be having that. 

“Will you be happy there?” Luis asked. 

Leon looked taken aback by the question, but he answered nonetheless, “Yes.” He said firmly, as if there were no question about it, “I will be.” 

How could Luis argue with that?

“Then don't let me stop you.” Luis responded. It was both what Leon wanted to hear and at the same, it wasn't what he wanted to hear at all. 

There was a part of him that wanted Luis to beg for him to stay, to plead with him to not leave him. Leon had to leave, there was nothing that he could allow to stop him…but then again, it would have been nice to know that Luis wanted to hold onto him just as much as Leon wanted to hold onto Luis. 

Leon went to say goodbye before he was interrupted by words that he never would have expected Luis to say, “But I'm coming with you.” Luis insisted, his voice firm as if there was absolutely nothing that would change his mind. 

Leon's jaw was agape, and his eyes widened, “What?” 

“I'm coming with you. I'm going to Raccoon City.” 

“Luis- I can't ask you to do tha-” 

“You didn't ask me to.” Luis reminded him, “You didn't even hint at it.” 

“Then wh-” 

“Because I would rather leave behind everything that matters so little to me here, then let what I care about most slip through my fingers.” Luis professed, and if that didn't sound like an admittance of feelings, Luis didn't know how he could make it any clearer. 

Unfortunately, Leon needed it to be clearer, “I don't…Luis, I don't understand.” 

Luis groaned at Leon's density. He thought the entire world of Leon Kennedy, but he couldn't deny that the man struggled–floundered, with social cues, “Leon.” Luis took Leon's hand and held it firmly, forcing Leon to look at him, “I'm telling you that I like you.” And genuinely, he couldn't put it any clearer than that. 

Leon finally seemed to get it, his face flushing red, “You…” Okay, well, the gears were still turning, but he was getting there, “You like me?” 

“Sí, Leon.” Luis sighed with exasperation leaning forward and resting his head on Leon's shoulder. It wasn't anything he hadn't done before, they had embraced and been in close proximity many times, but now with something so unwaveringly non-platonic said, Leon couldn't help but think about Luis' head on his shoulder in a completely different way. That isn't to say, however, that it wasn't welcome. In fact, having Luis so close to him only seemed to help him process Luis' words all the better. 

Luis liked him. And evidently, he liked him quite a bit. 

After a moment, Leon put his hand on Luis' back, more so confirming that he wanted Luis that close to him. Which was good for the Spaniard, because he felt like he couldn't quite look back up at Leon yet. Never in his life had someone made him feel so shy. 

The two men say like that for a few moments, just letting the last couple of minutes solidify in their minds, processing every word said, letting feelings settle. 

“Luis…” Leon finally spoke up, “You like me?” He asked one last time, just to confirm. 

“I do.” 

There was a beat of silence before Leon responded, “I like you too.” 

Luis shot his head up, startling Leon, “You do?” He asked, as if it had never so much as been in the realm of possibility. 

“Yes.” Leon insisted, “Actually, I thought you might have already known that.” 

“I can assure you.” Luis began, suddenly serious, “I had no clue.” 

“That's…” Leon looked like he didn't believe him, “Really?” 

“Es verdad.” 

“Oh.” 

….

Both men started bursting out laughing, gripping onto each other like two teenage girls who were the funniest thing in the world inside their own little bubble. And really, it was the funniest thing. How had they both been so stupid? 

After a good ten minutes of laughing, Luis spoke up again, “So, Officer Kennedy.” He said with a grin, “Do you like me enough to let me kiss you.” 

Leon smiled softly at Luis, “Luis, I like you enough to let you do something I know you shouldn't.” 

“What's that?” Luis asked, leaning in, his eyes half lidded. 

Luis' lips were nearly closed enough to touch Leon's as he answered, “Come with me.” With that, Leon leaned in and closed the gap between them, kissing him with months of passion that he had been holding onto, wishing that he would be lucky enough to kiss this lovely man that he had just chanced to meet. 

Luis was fully on board with the kiss, but in his shock, he neglected to kiss back, his body failing to catch up with his mind that had been running at a million miles a minute. Leon, noticing Luis' hesitance to kiss back, pulled away, “Luis-”

“You're gonna let me come with you?” Luis asked, eyes wide and voice almost mystified. 

Leon, realizing that was why Luis hadn't kissed him back, gave the Spaniard a soft smile, “I can't stop you.” He said flatly, but he grinned knowingly soon after.

Luis mirrored the grin, knowing well that it was Leon's way of telling him that he very much wanted Luis to come with him. And Luis intended to do just that, “Then isn't it so lucky that there just so happens to be a chapter of Umbrella in Raccoon City.” Luis said. 

“That is awfully lucky.” Leon responded, leaning in and kissing Luis once again, this time it was reciprocated in full. 

—-----

“Aww.” Joy mused, “How cute. It seems like the stars aligned just right for the two of you.” 

Luis smiled, “They did, didn't they?” He picked up the picture of himself and Leon and studied it fondly, always finding joy in looking at it despite having gazed at it countless times. 

Before Joy could say anything more, another doctor entered Luis' office, “Doctor Darcy.” They said (Luis wasn't familiar with their name either), “You're needed in your office.” 

Joy clicked her tongue, hopping off of Luis' desk, “Duty calls. See ya, Dr. Serra.” 

Luis clicked his own tongue as Joy exited the room, thinking to himself. 

It's Dr. Serra-Navarro.

And then, suddenly, a silly little thought came to mind, one that Luis had often. 

Someday, it'll be Dr. Serra-Kennedy. 

He smiled to himself at the thought. 

Yeah, that'll be nice. 

He glanced over at his clock to see that it was already one o'clock, “Shit.” He cursed, opening up the simulation he had been running and reopening his notebook, “Back to work.” 

—---

Leon was overjoyed when it was time for his lunch break. He had been asked to join some fellow officers at a local restaurant, but he had to decline. He had plans for lunch. Not to mention, Luis had packed him a lunch like the doting boyfriend he was. 

Besides, eating at his desk would allow Leon to work and eat at the same time. 

He cleared some room on his desk and ran off to the office refrigerator, where he had set his lunch inside. He searched for the brown paper bag which held his lunch inside, but to his shock, it wasn't there. Crestfallen, he shut the fridge, “I thought lunch stealing was something that only happened in movies.” He commented to himself, sighing before waking over to his desk and sitting back down. Well. Forget working while eating, it was just work, then. 

Leon was hungry, which dampened his spirits a bit, but he pressed on, digging into the pile of paperwork that only seemed to have grown mysteriously with every paper he took off of it. 

Halfway through his lunch break, Leon checked the clock. Seeing what time it was, he immediately set down his pen and reached for the phone at his desk, punching in the number to Luis' desk phone and holding the phone up to his ear, waiting for Luis to answer. 

Luis picked up just a moment later, his voice being a pleasant thing to hear during a lunch break that Leon had not found to be all that pleasant, “Dr. Serra-Navarro.” Luis answered, his business-forward tone making Leon chuckle. 

“Hello, Doctor. This is Officer Kennedy.” Leon teased. 

Luis' voice immediately changed, softening and becoming far more personable, “Cariño.” 

“Hi, baby.” Leon cooed, his voice softening as well, “How are you?” 

“I'm good, I'm good.” Luis insisted, his way of insisting that Leon hurry up and tell him about his own day without actually saying anything. Leon laughed softly. 

“Good.” 

There was a beat of silence. 

“Do you want to hear about my day?” Leon asked in a knowing tone. 

Luis' answer was immediate, “More than anything.” 

“Okay, well I'll tell you the details when I get home, but what I can say is that it's had its ups and downs.” Leon had to admit that it hadn't been the perfect day he envisioned, but it was hardly a bad day. 

“Already?” Luis asked, “Not everything you hoped, huh?” 

“No. It is.” Leon insisted, “Just, you know, I've got a lot of work to do.” 

“Of course.” 

“And someone stole my lunch.” 

“WHAT?” 

Luis shouted so loudly that Leon had to pull the phone away from his ear, and he kept it at that distance for a minute or so as Luis furiously cussed the unknown lunch thief out in a mix of Spanish and English obscenities. After letting Luis get a little bit of it out of his system, Leon brought the phone back to his face and informed him, “You're at work too, babe.” 

Luis clicked his tongue on the other end, “That's the perk of having my own office, I can curse out lunch thieves as much as I want.” 

“Sure, but how about you let it go, huh? It's just lunch.” 

“Lunch that your loving, wonderful, outrageously handsome boyfriend made for you.” Luis grumbled. 

“My humble boyfriend.” Leon added, “I'm sorry, Luis. It didn't have my name on it. I should have sharpied it on before putting it in the fridge.” 

“They're still not right for stealing it.” 

“No. But we boys in blue aren't always on our best behavior.” 

“Says the most good-two-shoes man I've ever met.” 

“It's goody-two-shoes, babe.” 

“Well in my language, we call it ‘gilipollas’.” Luis grumbled. 

“I've been with you long enough to know what that means, Luis.” Leon chuckled.

Luis tried to be tough and hold back a laugh, but he couldn't help it, “You probably can't pronounce it, though.” He teased. 

“Gil- no. I can't.” Leon gave up before he barely even started, knowing he couldn't. 

Luis laughed, “You've got to learn Spanish if we're gonna get married.” 

Leon's face reddened at the idea of marrying Luis, “Yeah?” He asked, “Why's that?” 

“No actual reason.” Luis admitted, “I just think you should.” 

Leon touched his cheek, feeling the heat radiating from it. He hoped no one would see him like that, “I'll get on it, then.” 

Luis chuckled on the other end, the sort of chuckle he did when he was about to say something that would make Leon blush even more, he could always tell, “Can't wait to be mine, then, huh?” 

Leon could feel his ears and the back of his neck join his face in redness, “I'm already yours, and you know that.” Leon mumbled, trying to keep his voice down in case anyone returned from lunch prematurely. 

Luis sounded very pleased on the other end, “That's true, but I still have every intention of calling you my husband.” 

Leon covered his face with his hand, ducking his head down low and taking a deep breath, “Baby, you can't make me blush while I'm at work, people will think I'm crazy.” He whispered. 

“Crazy in love-”

“I'm hanging up.” 

“No! No, I'm sorry!” Luis apologized, though it didn't seem all that sincere with how he couldn't keep from laughing. 

“I do actually have to go now, though. My lunch is over.” 

“Oh.” Luis sounded dejected, “Will you have another break later to call?” 

“Do you need me to call you twice in one shift?” 

“Yes.” Luis answered immediately. 

Leon smiled, “I'll see what I can do. What time are you headed home today?” 

“Six.” 

“I'll call you around five before you leave, then.” 

“Okay!” Leon couldn't see it, but it was very obvious that Luis was grinning ear to ear on the other end. 

“Okay, gotta go. I love you, get back to work saving the world.” 

Luis huffed affectionately, “You too. I love you.” 

With that, Leon hung up and got back to work. 

—-----------

Luis took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes when it finally hit six o'clock. With much of his work accomplished for the day, he felt like he deserved a good nap when he got home, then he would get started on dinner. He didn't particularly enjoy that he and Leon would be eating so late, but there was hardly anything he could do about it. It was just going to have to be something the couple got used to, considering Leon had insisted on being scheduled twelve-hour shifts. 

Leon must have been quite busy, because he hadn't called Luis like told him he would. Luis could hardly hold it against him, but even so, he couldn't help but be sad when five o'clock came and went without a call, “I hope they're not working you too hard, querido.” Luis mused to the picture of himself and Leon. Atleast Leon's job provided him with reasonable vacation days, with those, the couple could have a nice trip somewhere in the summer. Luis couldn't wait. 

But for now, the only trip he wanted to make was the walk back to his and Leon's apartment. 

So Luis grabbed his satchel off the back of his chair, turned his computer off, switched the lights, and headed out the door. 

“See you around, Dr. Serra.” A coworker that Luis had not yet learned the name of said to him on his way out. Okay, now he was convinced he needed to learn everyone's names, because why did they all know his? 

“Goodnight.” Was all he said in response as he exited the building. 

The walk back home wasn't unpleasant, the streetlights made up just fine for the low light, but Luis far preferred the couple of walks he had taken in which Leon had showed up outside of his work ready to take him home. They couple could have taken Leon's jeep, yes, but they both had preferred the short stroll. 

The couple of days in which Luis had worked before Leon had been welcomed to the RPD were heavenly, in the Spaniard’s opinion. Work was, well, work, but heading home with his doting boyfriend, who surprised him with dinner every time, was what made those days great. 

He couldn't complain too much, however, because Leon had been over the moon about his new job, and what was infinity more satisfying than coming home to dinner was seeing Leon put on that uniform and talk with the utmost confidence that he was going to make the absolute most out of his years serving at the RPD. Luis loved seeing Leon happy more than anything else the world could offer to him. 

When Luis arrived at the apartment, he opened the door and stepped inside, making extra sure to lock the door as he had often accidently left it unlocked to Leon's gentle insistence that he definitely, absolutely, shouldn't do that. 

He flipped on the lights and set his bag on the hook near the door, placing his keys on a separate hook. Luis then kicked his shoes off, placed them on the shoe rack, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. 

—------

Leon felt awful that he couldn't call Luis like he had promised to. He hadn't forgotten, he simply didn't have a moment to spare. 

Things had gotten out from under him. As soon as he got off the phone, a cop that he hadn't been introduced to came up to him, asking if he'd like to go on patrol. Leon wasn't sure if Lieutenant Branagh would allow it, given he informed Leon that he would be starting his patrols the following Monday. But the officer insisted that it was okay, and that he had cleared it with Branagh first. 

So that's how he found himself in a patrol car earlier than he had expected. He was behind the wheel, driving down the streets according to the instruction of the other officer, a man by the name of Addams, his first name unknown. Leon would figure it out eventually. 

“So, Rookie, how has your first day been?” Addams asked, his tone friendly. 

“A lot of paperwork.” Leon had to admit, “But I'm just happy to be here.” 

“I'm glad to hear it.” Addams smiled, “You'll have more action-oriented tasks soon enough, trust me.” 

Leon focused on the road for a bit until he stopped at a red light, “How long have you been on the force, sir?” Leon asked. 

“Three years.” Addams said, “I look like I've served more than that, don't I?” He asked. Leon wasn't sure what Addams wanted to hear out of that, so he just shrugged. 

The silence returned for a bit until Addams spoke up again, “So, what future do you see for yourself at the RPD?” He asked. Leon thought it was sort of an odd question to hear from a man who had only been on the force for three years, he would have expected to hear a question like that from Branagh or another superior. 

“Well, after some hard work and dedication.” Leon began, “I'd like to be a detective.” 

“Is that right?” Addams asked, looking skeptical, though he tried his best to conceal it so as to not come across as rude. 

“Yeah.” Leon insisted, “Been my dream since I was a teenager.” 

“Crime shows?” Addams asked. 

“No.” 

“No?” 

Leon just sort of glanced at Addams, not sure if he wanted to divulge what had inspired him to go into law enforcement or not, “Not crime shows.” 

“O…Kay.” Addams cleared his throat, “Well, whatever it is, I hope you're successful.” 

“Thank you, sir.” 

“Drop the sir, though. I don't even have that much seniority over you.” Addams insisted, “My name's Greg.” 

“Sorry, Greg.” 

“There you go, now you're getting it.” Addams grinned, “You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get people to show you some respect and call you by your name.” 

“I believe it.” Leon said, “Speaking from experience.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. Highschool. No one ever called me Leon.” 

“Kennedy was more catchy, huh?” 

Leon nodded, “Hated it back then, but these days, I don't mind.” 

“Well I'm glad you have, because back at the station, if someone's not calling you rookie, it's gonna be Kennedy.” 

Leon nodded, he had already experienced that, “I'm alright with that.” Leon said as he pulled the car back into the RPD parking lot, putting it in park. He waited until Addams made a move to exit the vehicle before doing so himself. Addams, however, didn't make a move to exit the car. 

“Although, maybe people will have to start calling you Serra-Kennedy.” 

Leon's blood ran cold, “Wh-” How could he possibly know what Luis' last name was? How did he even know Leon had a boyfriend? 

Addams turned to him, his face falling when he saw the look on Leon's face, like a scared animal backed into a corner, “Woah, Jesus, Leon.” He put his hands up in defense, “Relax,” he reached in his breast pocket and pulled out a Polaroid photo and a small, folded piece of paper, “Here.” He handed Leon the items. Leon looked them over to see the photo being of Luis, who was smiling big and dorkishly, his face too close to the camera, and the note being in his handwriting. 

“Where did you get these?” Leon demeaned, anger welling in his voice. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't appreciate it. 

“I stole your lunch.” Addams admitted, “Those were in the bag…I felt bad, so I asked Branagh if he could return them to whoever they belonged to—the letter is addressed to ‘Leon’ and you're the only Leon in the station, so it wasn't hard to figure out who the lunch really belonged to and-” Leon stopped Addams mile a minute rant. 

“You asked Lieutenant Branagh. So why did you give these back to me?” He asked, voice even. He was mad that his lunch had been stolen, and that Addams had read the letter Luis wrote for him…but at the same time, he couldn't lie, it was pretty funny. 

“Ah- well, you see, when I told him. He scolded me and said ‘don't mess with the rookie’.” Addams recalled, “Just when I thought I was off the hook, he told me to apologize by taking you for a ride around the city early. After all…we are gonna be partners.” 

Leon's eyes widened, “You and me?” He asked. He could hardly believe it. First Addams was a lunch thief, then he was Leon's partner. 

Addams nodded regrettably, “I-if I would have known-” 

“You wouldn't have stolen my lunch?” Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. Still, it was all so humorous he couldn't find it in him to be mad, though he was sure Luis would be furious when he told him all about it upon returning home. 

“I…yeah.” 

“Maybe you shouldn't steal lunches at all.” Leon suggested. 

“Yeah.” Addams chuckled dryly, “Probably not.” 

…

“Was it good, atleast?” 

Addams grew the most puzzled look on his face from the question, “Your lunch?” 

“Yes, Greg. My lunch.” 

“Uh…” Addams wasn't sure how to answer that, “Yeah. Your boyfriend made you a nice lunch…sorry I ate it.” 

Leon shrugged, “All is forgiven— just don't do it again.” 

“Roger that.” Addams did a half-hearted salute, “Won't happen again.” 

“Right…” Leon didn't believe him, “Well, uh. I'm gonna go inside now.” 

“Gotcha. Gotcha. Right.” 

Leon could no longer handle the awkward tension, so he left the car and walked back inside. 

When he got back to his desk, Leon finally read the letter, placing the accompanying photo against the phone on his desk and giving it a fond smile before beginning to read the letter. 

Dear Leon, 

Hola, mi corazón. I know this is cheesy, but I was in a cheesy mood this morning while making you your lunch (which I will be doing REGULARLY even though I told you it would just be for your first day. I lied >:) muhahaha). 

I just wanted to tell you that I love you, and I'm so proud of you. 

Okay, that's all :)

P.s.

Now that you're a working man, you can think about proposing to me some time soon. 

(Wink) 

I actually winked when I wrote that. 

Okay I love you, see you when you get home

-Luis (Serra-Kennedy) (wink) (wink) 

Leon laughed softly to himself once he finished the letter, finding particular humor in Luis' handwriting being nearly perfect, save for his signature, which was doctor handwriting if he had ever seen it. He was surprised Addams had been able to make it out, “Oh, Luis.” He fondly mumbled to himself. Glancing over at the clock, he saw that it was now six o'clock. Three hours left. Three hours until he could get home to Luis. 

—---

Finally, when six o'clock hit, Leon eagerly sprung from his chair. Grabbing a stack of finished papers, Leon wasted no time heading out of the office and into the main hall, where the receptionist–what was her name again? Ms. Brown—Ms. Brown was also getting ready to pack up and leave, her shift over. Leon was unsure if there was another secretary to take her shift, or if secretarial matters only happened nine to nine. 

“Hello, Ms. Brown.” Leon greeted, “Here's the last of those files.” 

“Thanks.” She said, face and tone completely neutral as she took the stack of papers from Leon, “Don't forget to punch out, Rookie.” 

“I'm on it. Have a good night, ma’am.” Leon offered her a friendly smile, but she only gave him an eyebrow raise in response. 

O…Kay. 

Leon left it at that and went to punch out before finally leaving the building. He whistled a tune as he twirled his car keys around his finger, thankful he had parked his car close by. His poor back was sore from hunching over his desk all day. Maybe he needed to adjust his workout routine to focus more on his back. 

Or maybe, he just needed to get home and go to bed. 

Probably that. 

Leon got in his car and started it, letting it warm up for a minute before he pulled out of the parking lot and made his way back home. He wished he was rich enough to have one of those mobile phones so that he could call Luis and tell him he was on the way. 

When Leon finally reached the parking lot of his apartment building, he couldn't get out of the car fast enough, nearly accidentally jumping out of the car without taking his seatbelt off. When he felt it tug against his chest, he sat back down, took a second to collect himself, unbuckled the belt, and got out of the car. 

He couldn't wait to get inside and tell Luis all about his day…and to go to bed. 

As soon as Leon opened the door to his and Luis' apartment, he was met with Luis arms around him, and the Spaniard's lips on his. He chuckled softly at the immediate kiss, but it wasn't the slightest but unwelcome. With their lips connected, the two men stumbled into the living room, Leon kicking the door closed behind him. 

The two of them stopped at the edge of the couch, both of them unspokenly deciding that they were far too tired to fall down onto it and turn the kiss into something more. It didn't mean that the kiss wasn't passionate, though. It was plenty passionate, Luis hands on Leon's waist and Leon's on Luis back, both sets of hands gripping with subtle pressure, keeping each other's bodies as close as they could manage. Taking in each other's warmth, the radiating feeling of each other's love. 

The kiss lasted for a while until both men had to pull away for air. They stared at each other with a fondness surpassed by none as they refilled their lungs with air. After a moment, Luis spoke up, “Welcome home.” He said in a soft voice, “I missed you.” 

Leon averted his eyes in the same shy way he always did when Luis said something sweet to him, “I missed you too.” 

Luis reached a hand up and smoothed Leon's hair back and out of his face, “Wanna tell me all about your day?” He asked. 

Leon nodded, “During dinner. I'm so hungry.” Leon admitted. He felt bad about returning home and immediately complaining about his hunger, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't eaten all day. 

“Damn lunch thief.” 

“That damn lunch thief…” Leon had to pause for a moment because he could hardly believe it himself, “Is going to be my partner.” 

…

“Excuse me?” 

—---------------------

Luis gave Leon a puzzled look as he poured a helping of syrup on his pancakes (graciously made for him by Leon, who was a self-professed pancake master), “So, what? They're suspended. Just like that?” 

Leon nodded, “Can't imagine why.” He said with a shrug, “It's hard to even wrap my head around. S.T.A.R.S botched a mission so badly that they aren't even allowed to keep working.” He shook his head, “Especially with that captain of theirs, they always seemed like such a capable bunch.” 

“He's missing, isn't he? I saw it in the paper.” 

Leon nodded, “Him and most of the team. I was friends with a lot of them…it's just..hard to think about.” 

“Oh, Leon…” Luis frowned, reaching forward and taking Leon's hand, “I’m sorry.” 

Leon had a distant look in his eyes, “It's…alright. Comes with the line of work.” 

“Still.” Luis held Leon's hand up to his lips and kissed his knuckles, “I'm sorry.” 

“Well…” Leon spoke up again after a moment, “I've got my boyfriend. So it's all good.” 

Luis smiled, “Your positivity is one of the things I love most about you.” 

Leon smiled at that, though if he was being honest…there wasn't much to be positive about these days. 

Work had only gotten more and more piled up with the absence of the S.T.A.R.S members. Since joining the force eight months before, Leon hadn't once felt that his workload was light. But now, it was nearly unbearable. 

Stressed didn't even begin to describe how he felt. 

“Hey, how about we go on vacation?” Luis suggested, “It's almost the end of the year, and you have plenty of vacation days left.” 

Leon looked hesitant, “But I have-” 

“So much work to do. I know.” Luis sighed, “But, amor, I think you should really consider it. For your health, your sanity.” 

Leon was unsure, “I don't know.” 

“Well, I'm a doctor.” Luis smiled, “Don't you think I know best?” 

Leon sighed playfully, “You often do.” Luis could tell by the shift in his boyfriend's expression that he was already warming up to the idea. 

Luis laughed, “I often do.” He confirmed. 

—--

“You know.” Leon said as he shut the trunk of his jeep, “I've only been here since January, but I'm sad to leave good ol’ Raccoon City.” Leon mused as he got in the driver's seat. 

“Well, you'll be back home in a week.” Luis reassured him, “The city will still stand without you.” 

“Right.” Leon nodded, “It's just…” 

“You've spent everyday protecting and serving the city with little incident. You're worried that as soon as you leave, something will happen.” Luis explained Leon's feelings for him, knowing how Leon was feeling just by looking at him. 

“Yeah.” 

Luis reached over and grabbed Leon's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, “Well, I'm sure the city loves you just as much as you do it.” 

Leon smiled and started the car, “Back in a week.” He mumbled to himself. 

It was September 22nd, 1998. The first day of Leon's first vacation with Luis. He was excited despite already being homesick. But with Luis right by his side, singing along to eighties ballads on the radio and talking about things that didn't matter in the slightest, how could Leon feel anywhere other than home? 

Being on the highway and not having an exit for a good while, Luis put his seat back a little and set his feet on the dash, setting the atlas down on the center council until it was needed again. Leon stole a glance over at him and smiled before turning his attention back to the road, “Have you tuckered yourself out with excitement?” Leon asked in a playful tone. 

Luis nodded, “It's hard work, being excited.” 

Leon laughed, “Is it now?” He kept one hand on the wheel and reached the other over to Luis, sliding it between the back of his neck and the seat and giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

Luis groaned softly, “My poor neck and back are getting pretty screwed up from hunching over my computer all day.” 

“Hasn't that been your job for…ever?” 

“Yes and no. My work used to be more hands-on. Now I mostly do computer simulations.” Luis sighed, “It's no fun.” 

“I can't imagine it is.” 

“Well, it's better than actually working on what I've been researching. It's some pretty gross stuff, not anything I'd actually want out on the market.” 

“Like…what?” Leon asked, looking apprehensive. 

Luis shrugged, “Nothing. It's just, sometimes in my line of work, we have to simulate things that need cures in order to understand how a hypothetical cure would be developed. Understand?” Leon nodded, so far being able to keep up. Luis then proceeded to explain further, which finally led to Leon's confusion. He wasn't scientifically inclined, “You know?” Luis asked, looking over at Leon for any sign of recognition. 

Luis…lost him, but Leon commented anyway, “Hope no one goes all mad scientist and tries to make the simulations real.” Leon joked, giving Luis pause. He suddenly went very quiet, concerning Leon, “Luis?” 

“Oh, your exit is coming up.” Luis pointed out, sufficiently changing the subject. He picked the atlas back up and began giving directions again. Leon had no other choice than to listen to the directions, unable to press the issue and further. 

Luis' sudden discomfort lingered on Leon's mind for the rest of the car ride until they reached their destination, a small cabin that Leon had rented. Luis wanted to go to a warmer state and spend time on a beach…but Leon wanted to go hiking. They had to compromise—the cabin had a hot tub. 

—--

It was on the fifth day of his vacation that Leon got a phone call. He was confused when the cabin's phone rang and Marvin's voice was on the other end, until Leon remembered that he had given the man the cabin's number in case there was an emergency, “Lieutenant.” Leon said, “Is everythin-” 

“Rookie.” Marvin said on the other end, his voice firm, “Rookie, I don't have much time, so I need you to listen to me.” 

“You don't have much- what? What's going on?” 

“Leon!” Marvin shouted, quickly shutting Leon up. 

“...sir?”

Marvin sighed on the other end, and only in that moment was Leon able to hear yelling in the background. He held his tongue when he wanted to ask what was going on again, “Son, you're a couple of hours away, right?” 

“That's right.” 

“Good.” 

Leon was confused. 

“Stay there.” Marvin said, “Don't come back to Raccoon City. You hear me, Rookie? Don't come back.” 

“What? Why?” Leon begged for an answer, but Marvin didn't answer. 

“I don't have time to explain it all. But son, if you ever want to get married to Luis and live the rest of your life…you won't come back here.” Despite the weight of Marvin's words, they were laced with an almost fatherly sincerity. It made Leon's heart hurt, and he wasn't even sure what was happening. 

“Sir-” Marvin hung up, leaving Leon confused and fearing for the Lieutenant's safety. What was that all about? 

“Leon?” Luis asked, hair dripping from recently getting out of the hot tub, “What's wrong, querido? You look pale.” Luis approached Leon and put the backside of his hand on Leon's cheek, then up to his forehead, feeling for a fever. He made a funny face when he detected no sign of illness. 

“Luis…” Leon began, mouth dry and voice distant, “I think something terrible is happening in the city…” 

“Something terrible?” Luis asked, eyebrow furrowing. There was something about the look on his eyes, the way his voice stayed even…that didn't have him sounding all that surprised. 

“I need to go back.” Leon concluded, “I need to go help.” He hung up the phone and turned in the direction of the door, but Luis stopped him. 

“Leon, hey, wait!” He grabbed Leon's shoulder and forced him to face him, “Calm down. Tell me, what happened?” 

“I don't know!” Leon exclaimed, his emotions getting the better of him and causing him to shout even if he didn't intend to, “I don't know! Branagh wouldn't tell me anything. But-” Leon took Luis' hands, holding onto them as if they were the only thing that could ground him, “Honey, I have to go.” 

“No.” Luis said on instinct before he could really even agree with himself. But upon having a second to think about it, it was still a no, “No, Leon. No!” 

“I have to-”

“No!” Luis shouted, “If it was so bad he couldn't even tell you about it…” Luis' voice welled with panic, “Then it must be something horrible. Mi vida, please.” Luis' voice cracked with emotion, “Please don't go back.” He stared into Leon's eyes, pleading with his own that Leon would stay put. 

Leon stared back into Luis' eyes, those silver pools of emotion that he just never seemed to be able to deny. With a heavy sigh, and his eyes shut tight, and his brow creased in a way that looked to age him by many years, and finally, Leon relented, “Okay.” He nodded, “Okay. I won't go back. We won't go back.” He swallowed hard, “Not until it's safe.” 

“Promise?” Luis asked. When Leon didn't immediately answer, Luis grabbed his shoulders so firmly it bordered on being painful, “Do you promise me?”

Leon's eyes widened at Luis' sudden aggression, and he stuttered out an answer, “I-I do. I promise.” Leon nodded, though he couldn't bear to look Luis in the eyes. 

He couldn't bear to look Luis in the eyes…because he knew he had just made a promise he couldn't keep. 

Luis sighed with relief and let go of Leon's shoulders, “Good.” He breathed heavily, attempting to calm himself from getting so worked up, “Good…” 

Seeing Luis looked so relieved only served to make Leon feel even more guilty, but he still had to play along. He had to give Luis the idea that he was going to stay put. So Leon pulled Luis into his arms and held him there for a good long while. 

Luis, I'm sorry. 

—---------

Luis woke up the next morning with a yawn and a stretch, and while at first it seemed to be a day like another, something immediately felt wrong. He opened his eyes to reveal that Leon was not beside him, “Leon?” He called out, patting down the blanket in case Leon could have somehow been wrapped up in it. But he wasn't. He wasn't under the blanket, he wasn't on the bed at all. 

Panic instantly hit Luis, “No.” He jump out of bed, the blanket twisting around his foot and causing him to trip and fall, hitting the ground hard and knocking the wind out of him. He lay there in pain for just a moment before he forced himself back up, “No!” He ran into the kitchen, seeing that Leon wasn't there either. Then to the bathroom, and the hot tub area, he even checked the damn closet, but Leon was nowhere to be found. Finally, he entered the kitchen. The last room. The last barrier between him and having to accept the fact that Leon wasn't there. 

He took a deep breath, his body trembling as he stepped into the hallway leading into the kitchen, “Mi amor?” He called, but of course, there was no answer, “Mi amor?” He called again as he fully stepped into the kitchen. And then, there was no denying it. Leon was not there. 

“No.” Luis said weakly, tears welling in his eyes, “No…” He stumbled over to the kitchen table and collapsed into a chair. He leaned forward and placed his face against the kitchen table, which he dug his fingernails into. He sat there for a moment, fighting tears, until he felt the sudden inclination to look for something that he had noticed but disregarded when he came into the room. A note on the fridge. 

He stood up and walked over to the fridge, snapping up the note before darting back over to the kitchen table, feeling as if his legs couldn't hold the weight of his body any longer. 

He didn't have to read the note. He had a pretty good idea as to what it would try to tell him. 

But he began reading anyway. 

My love, 

Luis had to stop reading for a moment, feeling sick to his stomach. Leon called Luis that very rarely, it made it more special. The use of the pet name always made Luis' heart flutter…now it only made his heart bleed. Clutching the note tightly, he continued on. 

I made a promise to you that I can't keep. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made it—I shouldn't have given you false hope. But, baby, I couldn't keep it. I'm so sorry. 

You know where I am. But I ask, no, I beg you. Don't follow me. I took the jeep, which means you're going to have to stay at the cabin for a little while. I'm sorry, Luis. Please just hang in tight. Don't worry about getting kicked out, I paid for another week's stay before I left. 

I've got it all taken care of, baby. I promise. 

I just couldn't stay away, not when our city is in need. After all, how can we get married in a pile of rubble? 

I'm hoping it's not actually that bad. 

I'm hoping that no matter how bad it is, I can do something to help. 

I have to go now, Luis. But please know that I don't do this to hurt you. I hope you know that. 

I love you so much, mi vida. 

Did I spell that right? I hope that I did. 

I'll see you soon, 

Leon (Serra-Kennedy)

Luis crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash.