Work Text:
August 2017
“Leon!” Claire called, glaring at the full closet in front of her.
“What? What’s wrong?” Leon asked, rushing into the living room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw what she was looking at.
“Why the fuck is this not packed?”
“I thought you packed it?”
“Why would I pack it?” Claire asked, her anger spiking. “You said and I quote ‘Don’t worry Claire, I know we are moving this week but I got it covered.’”
“But you started packing, anyway!”
“That’s your excuse? That’s such a bullshi-” Leon kissed her. Part of her knew she wasn’t in her 20s anymore, and shouldn’t let him end every argument by kissing her. The rest of her didn’t care about the damn closet anymore. They’d probably set a record for the number of arguments ending in sex or at least making out in a single month.
“I love you so much,” Leon said.
“Let’s burn the closet,” Claire said, recapturing his lips.
“I thought you two getting together would make this finally go away, not make it worse.”
Claire reluctantly pulled away from Leon to see Chris and Jill standing in the entryway to Leon’s apartment. “Nope,” she grinned.
“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” Leon asked.
“In my defense, I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen,” Jill said.
“Claire said to let ourselves in!”
Sherry popped up behind Chris and Jill. “Hey guys! What’s going on?”
“They’re being gross,” Chris told her, earning a laugh from Sherry.
“Typical.”
“I guess since you’re all here, we better get started,” Claire removed herself from Leon’s arms, ignoring his dramatic pout. “We have this stack of boxes in the living room, and then we have to go to my storage unit to get the stuff from my apartment.”
“None of the furniture’s going?” Jill asked.
“No, it all came with the apartment. Claire’s storage unit has most of the furniture, and we have some new stuff that was delivered to the house a few days ago,” Leon said.
“That’s easy enough. Let’s get going,” Sherry said, already grabbing a box.
X
“So how’s it feel?” Leon asked, the pair finally in bed after a long day of moving.
“Surreal,” Claire admitted. The last month of living together in Leon’s apartment worried her a few times with the amount of arguing. She was willing to chalk it up to the hodgepodge of moving stress, new job stress, and even some commitment stress.
Now, lying in their bed, in their home, with their family in the guest bedrooms, it was surreal. She’d never thought they’d get to this point, but here they were. They were doing it.
“Yeah, I keep waiting to wake up and find I’m locked in some bioterrorist asshole’s dungeon somewhere and my brain’s trying to make me feel better,” Leon said. Claire pinched his arm. “Hey!”
“It’s not a dream,” Claire grinned. “We did it.”
“We did it,” Leon repeated, a sappy smile taking over his face, his face so full of love that Claire almost had to look away. “It may have taken too fucking long, but we did it.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Claire said, putting a hand on his cheek. “What matters is we’re here now.”
Leon pulled her flush against him. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she said, pulling him into a sweet kiss.
Leon pulled back, gazing into her eyes. “Marry me.”
Claire’s breath caught. He’d asked her when he asked her to move in with him, but it’d seemed so spur of the moment, she wasn’t sure he was serious. Now, his face was dead serious and so full of love and longing that the weight of the question settled over her.
“What happened to a year?” Claire asked, her voice soft.
“We made it an entire month. I think that’s enough.”
“We barely made it through that month.”
“But we made it.”
Claire watched him, sitting with the question, with the moment. She wanted to marry him, but didn’t want to rush it. While he would argue they’d moved so slowly for the last 20 years that he didn’t want to wait any longer, she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d waited this long. Why rush it? What difference would a year make?
Then again, what difference would a year make? Sure, there was always the possibility that living together would prove how incompatible they were, but she figured those odds were low. “I’d want a year-long engagement at least.”
“Is that a yes?”
“And I want a big fucking ring.” Claire didn’t actually care that much about how big her ring was, but if she was going to cave, this easily might as well use her bargaining power.
“Is that yes?” Leon asked again, giddy.
“I guess,” she said with a grin.
“You’re insufferable,” he said, kissing her, hard. Two decades of pain, hurt, and longing seemed to disappear into his lips. She’d probably always regret it took them so long to get their shit together, but if all that meant she had this perfect moment, then it was all worth it.
“Did you hear the part about the big fucking ring?” she asked when he pulled away.
“I can do you one better.” Leon kissed her one more time before getting out of the bed.
She sat up as he moved to a few boxes stacked against the wall. “What are you doing?” Leon ignored her, grabbing the top box labeled ‘nightstand stuff’, and digging through it before pulling out a small velvet box. “You already had a ring?” That was surprising. This still didn’t seem planned enough for him to have a ring.
Leon said nothing as he got back into bed and handed her the box. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but took it from him, opening the small box with a gasp, tears pooling in her eyes. “Chris gave it to me like 10 years ago and has threatened to take it back every few years since. Think he thought me having it would make me get my shit together, which it didn’t, but I held on to it hoping one day it would get the use it deserved. I guess Jill has your grandmother’s, but he saved that one for you. I hope you like it...”
Only half aware of Leon’s rambling, Claire couldn’t tear her eyes away from the ring. Her mother’s ring. The thin gold band, and simple square diamond exactly as she remembered it. She didn’t even know Chris had it, always assuming she was buried with it.
“Claire?” Claire tore her eyes from the ring to Leon, who was looking at her, unsure. “You okay?” She nodded, biting her lip, trying to keep the tears away. “May I?” He motioned for the box.
Claire handed over the box, watching carefully as he took the ring out. Leon held the ring with one hand, taking her left hand with the other. “Claire Redfield, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Claire said, not trusting herself to say more, as he slipped the ring on to her finger. It fit so perfectly that she wondered if he sized it, or if it just fit magically. She pulled him into a kiss, putting all the emotions she didn’t have words for into it.
Leon tugged her closer, and she threw a leg over him to straddle him. Claire stopped trying to hold back tears, stopped trying to hold back in general. Kissing him with tears streaming down her face. It had been a long, bumpy road, but at that moment, everything was perfect.
When Leon pulled away, she saw his eyes were red and watery too, as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, Claire.”
“I love you so much, Leon,” she repeated, swiping a stray tear off his cheek before kissing him again.
X
The next morning, they all sat at the dining room table, a box of donuts and a pot of coffee in the middle. They hadn’t said anything to the group yet, not finding the space in the morning small talk. Also, waiting for one of them to spot the ring first was a fun game.
Claire wasn’t hiding it particularly well. Leon caught her looking at it every few minutes, a huge smile taking over her face each time. Jill noticed right away, raising an eyebrow and grinning, but didn’t mention it to the others yet.
“So what are you doing now that your shoulder’s all fucked up?” Chris asked around a donut.
“I got a temporary transfer to the FOS until I’m back to normal,” Leon said, touching his left shoulder. “I’m still training, but should get assigned an agent soon.”
“You should try to get assigned to Sherry,” Jill pointed out.
“No!” Sherry blurted out. “Sorry. That came out wrong... Respectively, no.”
“Why not?” Claire asked, the whole table waiting for the answer. The thought crossed his mind, but he’d not been sure if she’d want that. He’d not expected such a vehement answer, though.
“I’d like you to picture everything you’ve done over the last 20 years,” Sherry started, and Leon got the picture. It wasn’t a pretty 20 years. “Now, picture your parental figure was there for all of it.”
“Got it. Loud and clear. I can probably get Hunnigan assigned to you at least.” Leon tried not to think about any of what Sherry referred to. Not sure if near-death or inappropriate situations were worse. “But I want her back after this is over.”
“You got a deal.”
With that settled, Leon realized Chris had fallen silent, his gaze laser-focused on the ring. Claire noticed too, her eyes glancing down at his eyeline, a huge smile taking over her face.
“Is that?” Sherry asked, leaning over the table to take a better look.
“Yeah,” Claire said, biting back a grin. Sherry squealed, getting up from her seat to hug Claire, then Leon.
“I’m so happy for you guys! When did this happen? How did this happen? Was it there all day yesterday, and we didn’t notice?” Questions fell out of Sherry at rapid speed, reminding Leon of the 12-year-old girl, asking them question after question the few days after Racoon City. He was sure he’d never answered as many questions in his life as he did those few days, including the following couple of literal interrogations.
“Last night,” Leon said, Sherry’s excitement adding to the lightness in his chest. The moment was perfect.
“Congrats, about damn time,” Jill grinned.
“Chris?” Claire asked, her face falling some. He was no longer hyper-focused on the ring, but he seemed far away, his features otherwise unreadable. “Chris?”
Chris’s eyes snapped to hers at the repeat of his name, one of those weird, nonverbal conversations happening between the two of them, her frown deepening. Even Jill looked at him like he’d grown a second head.
Leon thought he’d be happy. He gave him the damn ring and gave it to him at a point where he wasn’t deserving of it. Not that he was positive he was now, but more than he’d been.
“Congrats, you guys. Really, I’m happy for you,” Chris finally said, and oddly, it didn’t seem fake. His happiness sounded genuine, even if his face still looked less than thrilled.
X
The Redfield siblings stood alone in the kitchen, the other three in the living room putting the new entertainment center together. “So you guys having a wedding wedding or eloping somewhere?”
“I don’t know, honestly. Having an actual wedding sounds nice, but seems like a lot of work. Probably something small.” Claire didn’t know what was going on. His reaction was unexpected and all over the place.
“Hmmm.” Chris took a sip of his beer. “You have a timeframe in mind?”
“I told him I wanted to wait a year, but I doubt we make it that long,” Claire said. Waiting was probably the smarter choice, but the more she thought about it, the more a year felt like ages. “At the very least, I want to get this place all set up before even thinking about wedding planning.”
Chris said nothing, still staring into his beer bottle. While he wasn’t the most forthcoming person, this was extreme. “Chris? What’s going on?”
“I...” Chris looked up at her, his eyes watery. “I just... I probably won’t be there.”
“Wait. What? What do you mean you won’t be there? You have to be there. I’m not having a wedding without you. Who’s supposed to walk me down the aisle?” The questions spilled out of her. Claire couldn’t imagine having a wedding without him. Hell, half the reason she’d written off eloping was because she’d figured Chris would be upset. He was the entire reason she’d gone to her college graduation. He’d thrown a fit at the idea of not getting to see her get her diploma.
Chris glanced out into the living room where they could see Jill and Leon trying to set up the entertainment center. Sherry perched on the couch with the instructions, asking them if they wanted help every so often. They declined every time. He looked back at Claire, his face exhausted and heartbroken. “Can we go talk?”
“Yeah, of course, we can go talk in the bedroom,” Claire said, leading the way. Leon caught her eye when they passed through the living room, but she shook her head.
“Chris, what’s going on?” Claire asked again when they were safely behind closed doors.
Chris sighed, running his hand over his short hair, the gears in his brain visibility turning. “I’ve been doing unsanctioned missions.”
“So? You’ve been doing unsanctioned missions for years.” She’d helped on a number of them, especially after Jill “died.” The BSSA rarely cared as long as they got to stamp their name on Chris’s hard work.
“It’s different this time. I’ve been investigating... internally. I don’t trust this new Umbrella. Not one fucking bit, and after Lousiana....” He trailed off.
He hadn’t talked about Louisiana much, but clearly, something got to him more than the average mission did. This new Umbrella didn’t sit with any of them well, especially with how willing everybody was to turn a blind eye.
“How long do I have?”
“Claire, I don’t want you rushing things on my behalf.”
“I have loved Leon for 20 years; it’s not exactly rushing. How long do I have?”
“Maybe 6 months? I’ve been lying low, not breaking the rules too much, but I’ll have to do more eventually and they will catch on.”
“Six months. I can do six months,” Claire said, already planning things out in her head. “If I do six months, you better fucking be there.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“No. You will be there.”
X
“I don’t know if you guys know or not, but Chris is ordained,” Jill said as the five of them sat on the sectional. Jill and Chris cuddled up on the short side, while Sherry sat with her legs stretched out across Claire and Leon’s laps.
“Really?” Leon asked.
“Yeah, I did a couple of BSAA weddings,” Chris shrugged.
“Well, that takes care of that,” Claire said, shooting him a look that said he had to be there now.
“Being asked instead of volunteered would be nice,” Chris said, elbowing Jill, who shot him a wink. “But I’d be happy to.”
“I call Sherry best man!” Leon declared.
“Hey! No fair. You can’t just call wedding planning,” Claire complained.
Leon grinned. “I think I just did.”
“Sorry, Claire, he did call it,” Sherry said.
“Traitors, both of you.”
Leon kissed her cheek. “We might be traitors, but we still love you.”
“Don’t worry Claire, I can be your maid of honor or whatever,” Chris said.
“You can’t officiate, give me away, and be maid of honor. That’s too much,” Claire argued. All of this from the man who, an hour ago, wasn’t sure he’d be there at all.
“Jill can be my maid of honor.”
“Glad to see I’m third pick,” Jill said, but she was grinning.
“Technically, you were the second pick. Chris was never actually in the running.”
“Either way, I’ll take it,” Jill said. “I guess being runner-up to Sherry’s fine.”
They all kept on talking about wedding planning, while Claire’s attention drew back to her ring. She took it off to get a better look at it, a vague memory of an inscription on the inside, and found 1-15-1973 next to a small CR². “What about January 15th?”
“That’s not even six months away?” Leon pointed out, with a raised eyebrow. “What happened to a year?”
“Well, I guess we could wait until next January 15th,” she teased, grinning at Leon’s wrinkled nose.
“A winter wedding? Could be fun. Long sleeves, pretty coats, snow,” Jill said. “And it’s typically a less busy time of year after the holidays.”
“January 15th it is then,” Leon said, kissing the top of her Claire’s head.
X
“Hey, Sherry, before you go, I have something for you,” Leon said, pulling the silver key out of his pocket. He’d waited until Chris and Jill were gone, so it could be a moment for the three of them.
“You know I live like 10 minutes away, right?” Sherry asked. Through her posturing, it was clear from the smile that took over her face and the hint of wetness in her eyes that the gesture affected her.
“We know,” Claire said, snaking an arm around Leon’s waist, his arm going around her. “But any house of ours is a house of yours.”
“Thank you,” Sherry said, her eyes threatening to overflow. She took the key and hugged them both, wrapping an arm around each of their necks as they put their arms around her.
“Sorry it took so long,” Leon murmured into her hair. He wished this was something they’d given to a 12-year-old Sherry. Hell, even a young adult Sherry, but was thankful it was happening at all, even if she was in her 30s with a place of her own.
“Don’t be,” Sherry said, pulling away. “I’m just glad you guys are happy. I love you both.”
They echoed the sentiment, giving her another hug.
“Here, we’ll follow you out to your car,” Claire said, the three of them heading outside.
“Keep me updated on all the wedding planning,” Sherry said, fishing her keys out of her pocket. “And I’ll help however I can.”
“I’m sure we’ll have plenty for you to do, best man,” Leon winked, earning a glare from Claire.
“Watch it, mister,” Claire said, pointing a finger at him. “It’s not too late to call it off.”
“Hey now, there’s plenty of me to go around, no need to fight,” Sherry grinned.
“Fine, fine,” Clarie said, with an overdramatic sigh.
They gave their final round of hugs, goodbyes, and love yous before Sherry took off, leaving them alone in the driveway. Leon wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder; Claire leaned into him, resting her head against his, taking in the view of their house.
They’d not found time to just take it in yet, even when Leon picked up the keys a few days ago, he’d picked them up in the middle of a whirlwind of meetings, barely stealing enough time to grab them and sign the last of the paperwork.
He made time now, still amazed the little dark blue, two-story house in front of him was theirs. Leon wasn’t sure what the future held, but he was ready to make the place a home, something his depressing apartment never was. He was ready to make a home and a life with Claire.