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Waking up from his well-rested sleep, Leon S. Kennedy felt a heaviness on his chest, making him unable to move. Strangely, instead of struggling, he smiled in amusement, knowing who that weight was without having to open his eyes.
“Urgh…, Little One. What are you doing?”
His voice was grumbling with drowsiness, but the tint of amusement was thick in every syllable of his words. Opening his eyes, Leon saw a girl sitting on his chest with the small body of a 5-year-old. Her face, smiling brightly, bore a resemblance to him and his other half.
“Mommy said to come wake you up. You are late, Daddy!”
The girl’s smile was as bright as the sunlight seeping through the curtain. Leon turned to look at the clock on his bedside cabinet and realized that he was really late, as his daughter said, one hour late even. In the meantime, the ball of chaotic energy collapsed on him and nuzzled his rough stubble.
“He, he, he~ You are so tickled here, Daddy.”
Getting nuzzled, Leon smiled automatically and nuzzled back.
“You are a weird kid, Little One.”
“Weird? What is weird?”
“ *chuckle* It means you are special.”
After some time playing together cutely on the bed, Leon finally rose from the mattress and got down to the kitchen with the little one leading him down the stairs.
“Be careful not to trip yourself!”
“Yes, Daddy!”
Upon being warned, the girl slowed herself down and took her steps on the stairs more cautiously. Soon, the father and daughter duo would reach the dining area, where a woman was cooking in the kitchen.
“Oh, good morning, sleepyhead. Finally, grace us with your grumpy face.”
The woman turned to greet Leon as she was cooking eggs and bacon at the stove. The sizzling in the pan played as a delicious background noise, where the meaty aroma woke up everyone’s stomach and soul. On that woman's hand, there was a ring on her ring finger - a matching one to what Leon was wearing with pride on his finger.
“Good morning. Sorry, I’m late. But you didn’ t have to send the dangerous bioweapon to wake me up.”
As he jested lightheartedly with his grumble voice while his daughter settled herself with the iPad on the couch nearby, Leon approached his wife at the stove and kissed her lips lightly, despite not brushing his teeth yet.
“ *chuckle* Oh, I’m sure that your DSO ass could survive any bioweapon. Besides, you need your teeth brushed.”
Leon couldn’t help himself but chuckled at his wife’s smartass banter.
“God, you are insufferable. By the way, you got every document ready, right?”
“Yeah. It’s on the coffee table. You can go check there.”
“Thanks,” Leon kissed his wife’s cheek, “I owe you one.”
“You always owe me, Mr. Kennedy. Now get your ass over there and stop our little one from playing too much iPad.”
“Loud and clear, Mrs. Kennedy.”
With a smirk accompanying his answer, Leon went to his daughter, who was busy with her iPad on the couch.
“Hey there, Little One. What ‘chu doing?”
“Watching funny clips!”
On the screen before the little one was a video of someone playing a “67” joke. Was it supposed to be funny? Leon didn’t know that.
“I see. But Mommy over there doesn’t want you to play with your iPad much. And you know about your quota, right?”
One hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon, and one hour in the evening. That was the rule of using the iPad for Little Kennedy. And to emphasize that, Leon pointed back at the kitchen, where Mrs. Kennedy threatened the little one with a spatula and a menacing smile, like she was saying, “Don’t let me go there myself, princess.”
But a kid was still a kid, and resistance was inevitable.
“But I want to play more. I’m bored. Can I, Daddy?”
Leon was facing a dilemma. On the front, his daughter was looking at him with her pleading eyes. In the meantime, at the back, Mrs. Kennedy was gazing at him with her menacing smile. Compromising was the only option, and Leon S. Kennedy had to be creative.
“How about this, Little One? You help me with the documents for our visit to the hospital. Daddy just woke up, so his brain does not function very well. Need help from a girl who aced her English test last week.”
The little one’s eyes shone the moment she heard the praise. She had always been a sucker for a compliment, especially from her brooding daddy.
“It can't be helped then. Daddy is very pathetic and needs my help.”
Leon’s eyes widened at the strong words from the girl, and he could hear his wife choke on her spit in amusement from the kitchen.
“Ah… Little One… You know what pathetic means, right?”
“Yeah! It means not looking cool, right?”
The girl tilted her head in innocence and looked at Leon with her doe eyes. That did something funny to Leon’s daddy girl heart.
“Ah… Yeah… That’s… not wrong. But there is another meaning, too. I will teach you that.”
“Really!? Cool! I want to learn more!”
With that, the operation of separating Little Kennedy from her iPad is completed. Another job done for Daddy Kennedy himself. Another tough one, nonetheless.
Leon then sat Little Kennedy on his lap and went through the document of the upcoming hospital visit with her. From his wife’s perspective, watching from the kitchen, it was like seeing the little one leaning against the oversized teddy bear, whose fluffy cotton was replaced by hardened muscle. But at least his chest was soft enough for the girl to rest her head on as she was reading the words her daddy pointed at out loud.
“Okay. What is this word?”
“Age.”
“Good. Now this?”
“A? Ad? Address.”
“There you go! Look at you go!”
The big man interacted with his little daughter as if he were not a body of muscle, which could crush anyone in his command. His voice was gentle, while his touch on his little girl was tender. The image of him, being big and bulky, turning into a ball of fluff as his eyes, wearing glasses for his long-sightedness, looked at his girl with all the pride in the world, was priceless.
The image warmed Mrs. Kennedy’s heart. And soon, she finished cooking breakfast.
“Food ready!”
The announcement turned both the father and the daughter’s heads.
“Yippee! Daddy, let’s go!”
“Okay, okay, no need to hurry.”
Leon was dragged by his energetic little one to the dining table. It was like a girl was pulling a giant dog that was five times her size. And Mrs. Kennedy couldn’t help but be amused by the duo again as they started their breakfast.
“My, my, you are full of energy today, dear.”
Little Kennedy was in the middle of her chewing. So she swallows her bacon first before responding.
“Of course! I will get to see Sherry today! She promised me last time that it was going to be so much fun.”
Hearing his girl’s words, Leon was taken aback and clenched his hand in turmoil. The action was noticeable only to his wife, not the girl. Seeing that, Mrs. Kennedy laced her smaller fingers with Leon’s gigantic ones in a comfortable knot - to reassure him, and to ground him back to the moment.
“I see. Then, you should eat well, Little One. Or else you won’t have energy to play with Sherry.”
“Okay! I will eat well, Mommy!”
The girl then continued her meal in ignorance, while Leon had remained silent for many beats. Reassuring him, Mrs. Kennedy did. She gently rubbed her thumb on top of his hand in a soothing manner. Her eyes on him told nothing but gentleness, love, and care.
“Hey… You okay?” Mrs. Kennedy whispered her concern.
“I’m alright. Just thinking. You noted what we have for breakfast already, right?”
“Already done. Here.”
Mrs. Kennedy slid the note that contained the list of everything she used to cook breakfast, separating it by the individuals.
—
Leon: 4 eggs, 4 slices of bacon, 4 whole wheat bread toasts, no oil (use bacon’s oil), 4 tablespoons of strawberry jam, and a salad of 85 g. kale, 2 tomatoes, and 2 bell peppers.
Little one & Me (each): 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 white bread toasts, no oil (use bacon’s oil), 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam, and stir-fried mixed vegetables (carrot, pea, and corn) (1 cup).
—
Leon read the note thoroughly.
“Always meticulous with the details,” remarked Leon with a soft smile.
“Of course. This is important. I wouldn’t miss anything,” replied Mrs. Kennedy as her finger was still rubbing Leon’s gently.
“Thank you. I owe you,” answered Leon with his eyes on their joint hands.
“No, Leon. You owe me nothing. We are a team, remember?”
Mrs. Kennedy squeezed Leon’s hand tight. The little strength did so much in grounding him.
“Yeah… We are a team.”
Leon squeezed her hand back. His words were filled with vulnerability.
In the meantime, their little girl was too focused on her food to care about her parents’ interaction. Her cheek had not stopped popping from the big bites she chewed on.
Later, after breakfast, they prepared to go out. Leon slipped into his casual outfit, which consisted of a waffle-textured navy polo and white pants. And because of his humongous upper body, the normal-fit polo became a compression shirt, hugging his body tightly and accentuating his chest and biceps greatly. But his best feature of all was his vein-popping forearms, which his wife and his daughter loved to nibble on. They both claimed that his forearms are biteable.
Turning to his watch box, Leon was a man with a collection of three watches. For the field day, he would opt for his Khaki Field Auto Chrono, exclusively issued to him by the DSO themselves. For suit day, he would opt for his Tissot Gentleman with a dark blue dial and bracelet. But today, with his casual wear, which was styled closer to an old-money vibe, he put on his IWC Portugieser with a dark brown alligator strap and gold case. And with a generous touch of his oud perfume, Mister Kennedy was ready for his trip to DSO’s headquarters. Not as an agent, but as a father and a husband.
He and his wife then checked that all the documents were prepared in the folder, mostly his wife's and his daughter’s medical history. And of course, it was hard copies, always hard copies. Leon and his wife had to print everything out, just in case, despite having all the documents saved in digital files in their phones. It was just their generation’s thing.
“All ready, Captain~”
Mrs. Kennedy remarked playfully to Leon.
“Good, good. And what about you, Little Soldier?”
Leon turned to his little girl, who was in her pastel pink outfit.
“Ready!”
Little Kennedy saluted with all her energy and her widest grin, which brought a few giggles from both of her parents.
“Alright. Now get in the car. And you know the rule.”
“Yes, Daddy! No feet on the seat!”
“That’s my girl. Now hop in, Princess.”
The little girl got into the backseat of Leon’s Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, also exclusively issued to him by DSO as his personal drive. If it were his old day, he would opt for 911 without a second thought. But with more people to drive around with, what he needed was an SUV, not a fucking two-seater sports car.
“Still, I can’t believe you forgot to drive this car back from the mission,” teased his wife as she took a shotgun.
“Oh, come on. There were many things that happened, okay?” Leon retorted as he started the car.
“Sure~ Too many for you to forget your 200 grand drive.”
“Argh! You’re not gonna let me go on this, huh?”
“Nope! Not when you are so much fun to tease.”
“Ha, ha, ha! Daddy is forget.”
“That would be forgetful, dear. And yes, Daddy is very forgetful.”
“ *sigh* I will be damned…”
With a surrender in his mind, Leon drove the car out of his house to the DSO’s headquarters, which was approximately a one-hour drive if the traffic was kind enough. And one thing Leon gained from his fatherhood was patience. He became more chill behind the wheel.
“!”
When a bad driver cut into his lane dangerously, stupidly even, without a signal. Leon just sighed and shook his head. And Mrs. Kennedy saw that and smiled softly with pride. As for Little Kennedy, she was busy dancing along to the music she put on the car’s player, which was a set of popular songs from Shorts.
They arrived at DSO’s headquarters an hour and twenty minutes later, twenty minutes late from what it usually took from his house to the headquarters. One thing you had to know about driving a car with a kid inside was that you drive slow and steady. And of course, a few bathroom stops were inevitable. But eventually, Leon parked at his assigned parking spot and took Mrs. Kennedy and Little Kennedy to the research facility of the headquarters.
The building was sterile and well-organized. Many personnel, mostly in their lab coats or suits, made the Kennedys in their casual fits stand out from the surroundings. Leon looked around, searching for someone, while his one hand held his wife’s and his other hand held his daughter’s. Then, he heard a familiar woman's voice calling him amidst the chaos of people commuting around the area.
“Leon!”
The woman, in her late 30s to early 40s, called Leon, but the tone sounded much younger than her actual age. Her face was even younger when Leon turned to see her smiling face, which had no wrinkles. How?
“Sherry!”
Little Kennedy was the first one to respond. She left her father’s side and rushed to the blonde pixie cut woman, who readied her arm wide open to hug the little girl tight.
“Little One! It’s so good to see you. Wow! What a cute outfit you have.”
With her kind voice, Sherry talked with Little Kennedy, having the little girl in her arms, and the little one beamed at her praise.
“Thank you. Mommy bought it for me last week.”
“Oh, really? That’s very nice of her.”
Sherry, still not letting go of the girl, turned to Leon and Mrs. Kennedy, who approached her with their smiles at seeing the interaction.
“Mrs. Kennedy.”
“Sherry.”
The women greeted each other with polite nods. Leon’s hand was still clasping his wife’s.
“Ready to go?” Sherry asked briefly.
“I am,” answered Mrs. Kennedy, who squeezed Leon’s hand tighter unconsciously.
And Sherry? She noticed the nervous squeeze.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Kennedy. We’ve passed this test four times already. The fifth won’t be so hard.”
“Yes, Mommy! We passed the ex- Ex?”
“Experiment, Little One,” said Sherry.
“Yes! Experiment! We will pass it again. And it is fun. You get to play with many fun toys.”
The girl’s ignorance eased Mrs. Kennedy’s constricted heart slightly. But Leon had been quiet in this whole conversation. He had no strength to mutter a word. Not because he couldn’t, but because he was afraid of saying something unnecessary that would ruin their lie to the little one.
“You are right, Little One. Let’s go.”
Mrs. Kennedy said before turning to the gloomy Leon one last time. She squeezed his big hand with her smaller one once more before leaving it.
“I will be back fine,” whispered Mrs. Kennedy.
“Yeah, I know you will,” replied Leon, but it was a lie to her, and to him.
Nevertheless, Mrs. Kennedy smiled back and walked to Sherry.
“I will take good care of them, Leon. I promise,” reassured Sherry.
“I will be good, Daddy! And after this, let’s go on a picnic!” Little Kennedy talked in oblivion, then waved at Leon happily as she was taken away to the Biohazard Area, not that the little one knew what the word meant. The image was heart-wrenching: the smiling little girl oblivious to what her visit today was really about.
“Yeah. Daddy will wait for you and Mommy,” replied Leon as he waved back to his daughter.
Then, Sherry took Mrs. Kennedy and Little Kennedy to the Biohazard Area, leaving Leon alone with his catastrophic thoughts and devastating heart. His hand clenched white as if he wanted to bleed himself. Maybe it would be better if that happened. At least the physical pain could numb his current psychological pain.
Taking a deep sigh that could not do shit to calm his nerves, Leon headed out from the research facility building. The test will take about a few hours, so Leon decided to go to the shooting range to let out his frustration.
“Mr. Kennedy.”
“Agent.”
Arriving at the shooting range, Leon was greeted by the agent, who was taking care of the facility. The contrast of Leon wearing his casual outfit and the agent wearing his full tactical gear was a sight for anyone who passed by.
“Same?” The agent asked.
“Same,” replied Leon.
With the confirmation, the agent gave Leon a gun with the codename “Blacktail.” It is not the most powerful gun nor the one with the most ammo capacity. But its rate of fire and smooth recoil were what made Leon want in this situation of his messy mind. He wanted a gun that was easy to handle, one he could shoot without a second thought.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Kennedy. And hey, thank you for your service in your previous mission. You saved lives.”
Hearing that made Leon pause, midway through grabbing his gun.
“Right… You're welcome.”
Leon took the gun and headed to a station before putting on the earmuffs. And unlike when he was reading with his daughter, he needed no glasses for his farsightedness. In this long range, his aging eyes were an advantage.
BANG!
A shot was fired with precision. The bullet struck the dummy right at its head: Headshot. One head, one hole, and one life was taken with a single bullet. But Leon didn’t come here to practice. He came here to release.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Leon emptied his magazine before reloading a new one. He then shot more, more, and more. His precision remained the same throughout every shot: bullseye. The more he shot, the wider and wider that same spot on the dummy’s head got. He hit the same mark every shot: lethal. But what he wanted from the shot was the blaring sound of the explosion and the metallic sound of his bullet hitting the target. Even with the earmuffs, the sound and the act of shooting were loud enough to numb his overthinking brain.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
After a few more rounds and a few more hours, Leon empties both the dummy’s head and all of his given magazines. Leon looked at his handiwork pass through the smoke coming out from the gun’s muzzle. He then returned his gun to the agent. And with a clearer mind, Leon headed back to the research facility. But on his way there, he received a call. Before he hit answer, his screen showed the caller’s name: Grace.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Leon. Can I talk? Nothing serious. Just want to catch up.”
The other end spoke in a familiar soft and sweet voice. Hearing that, Leon took a seat on a nearby bench with more relaxed composure.
“Sure, I’m free. But aren’t you working right now?”
“It’s a break now, Leon. So, it’s fine. Need a pause from all this report anyway.”
“Way to go, Ms. Analyst. By the way, how’s Emily?”
“Oh, she is doing fine. Remember, I told you I was going to teach her how to read last time? She can now! Can you believe it? She is such a genius.”
“ *chuckle* Speaking like a mother there.”
“Oh, shush! I’m more like her big sister if anything. I’m too young to be a mom.”
“Whatever you say, Grace. But I’m glad Emily is living a happy life. You, too.”
“Yeah. And it’s all thanks to you, Leon. If it were not for you, Emily and I wouldn’t have this life together. Happy.”
Hearing Grace say that made Leon pause. His silence was loud enough for her to hear.
“Leon?”
“Oh! Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“You alright?”
“Yeah. I will be fine.”
After the call, Leon reached the research facility. There, Mrs. Kennedy and Little Kennedy were waiting for him with Sherry at the spot where they had left him.
“Daddy!”
The first thing Little Lennedy did upon seeing her father was rush to hug his legs.
“Listen, listen! Sherry said I passed the test again! I’m the best, right!?”
Hearing that his daughter passed the test, a heavy weight in Leon’s chest was lifted instantly. A moment later, he glanced at Mrs. Kennedy to see her nod in confirmation that she passed the test, too. With that, Leon took a long sigh of relief, which made his daughter tilt her head in worry.
“Daddy?”
Noticing that he made his daughter furrow her eyebrows, Leon quickly schools his expression.
“Sorry, Little One. Daddy was thinking about what we should have for today’s lunch.”
Hearing about lunch, Little Kennedy beamed her radiant smile and glowed her eyes.
“Oh, right! Picnic! Yes, yes, Daddy! I want a burger!”
Little Kennedy spoke with all enthusiasm, while Mrs. Kennedy and Sherry finally walked to them.
“Going right for the big meal after the big test, I see. Now that’s my little girl.”
Mrs. Kennedy teased her daughter's enthusiasm before scooping the little girl up into her arms with ease.
“I wonder where she took that from,” added Sherry as she glanced sideways at Leon playfully.
“Oh, now you blame me, Sherry?”
Leon joined the banter with a more relaxed smile.
“Just stating my curiosity. Not blaming anyone.”
Sherry raised both of her hands, feigning her surrender. The interaction made both Kennedy girls giggle in amusement.
“Daddy and Sherry play again!” Little Kennedy remarked happily.
“Well, she is one of your big sisters, Sweetheart,” said Mrs. Kennedy with Little Kennedy in her arms.
“Big sister!” Little Kennedy repeated with excitement, making both Leon and Sherry chuckle affectionately.
“That’s right! I’m your big sister, Little One. And what does the cute little sister do?”
“Be good to Daddy and Mommy!”
“That’s right. Here is your reward.”
Sherry bopped Little Kennedy’s nose, which made her giggle cutely. Mrs. Kennedy observed the interaction with an affectionate gaze.
“Thank you, Sherry. Speaking of which, would you like to join us at the picnic?”
Mrs. Kennedy’s question brought Sherry’s attention to her.
“Oh, that! Thank you for the invitation. But I don’t want to interfere with your family time. Besides...,” Sherry raised her left hand, which had a ring on her left finger, “...I already have an appointment.”
Seeing the ring on Sherry’s finger, both Leon and Mrs. Kennedy chuckled, whereas Little Kennedy looked at the ring with innocent, awe-struck eyes.
“Since when are you such a show-off?” Leon teased.
“Since you became such a dad,” retorted Sherry with amusement.
“Fair point. Say hi to him for us,” said Leon.
“Will do. Then, excuse me. Bye-bye, Little One. See you next time.”
“Bye-bye, Sherry! See you next time!”
And then Sherry left the Kennedys.
“So…, should we go, too?”
Mrs. Kennedy asked Leon.
“Yeah. We should.”
Taking Little Kennedy from Mrs. Kennedy into his arms, Leon walked them both to his Porsche. Their next destination: a nearby burger place’s drive-thru.
“Welcome to our burger place. What can I get for you?”
The voice talked to Leon through the intercom.
“One number ten. One number two, an onion ring, and a no-sugar Coke. And one number five.”
“And a toy!”
“And one toy, please.”
After getting their burgers and the toy, the Kennedys arrived at the nearby national park. Leon prepared a picnic blanket in his car’s trunk. So after finding a nice spot to spread it beautifully on the green glass floor under the clear blue sky, where the sun shone its warm light. The Kennedys’ picnic started. And the first thing Little Kennedy did was unpack her toy, not her number five: cheeseburger with fries and Coke.
“What ‘chu got there, Little one?”
Leon asked as he ate his number ten: triple cheeseburger with fries and Coke.
“Yippee! I got Sparxie!”
The little one cheered in joy as she raised the unicorn toy she got from the package.
“Sparxie?”
Leon tilted his head.
“Yes. It’s a unicorn from her favorite cartoon. It’s her favorite character, actually,” explained Mrs. Kennedy.
“I see. Good for you, then, Little one.”
“Um! Can I go play with Sparxie, Daddy?”
“Of course. But you need energy before that, right? Or else your fries will be soggy.”
“Ewww! No, no. No soggy fries. I will eat now.”
Answering his daughter with knowledge of her preference for fries, Leon successfully made her eat before playing without having to argue, which earned him a smile of approval from Mrs. Kennedy, who was eating her number two: a chicken sandwich with an onion ring and no sugar Coke. Why? Because her tummy couldn’t handle red meat very well. Poor, Mrs. Kennedy.
They enjoyed their food, and Little Kennedy was the first one to finish her meal. But they couldn’t afford for her to go straight running around after eating, so Mrs. Kennedy lured her still with the iPad, using the one-hour quota in the afternoon, telling her to watch the cartoon with Sparxie. Then, some time would pass for Little Kennedy’s stomach to be ready for an intense cardio. She would drop her iPad and run out to play with her Sparxie toy in the park, where there was nobody around, as it was the afternoon of a workday. It was like they had the whole beautiful park for themselves. The gentle wind, the warm sunlight, and the scent of the trees and flowers surrounded them, soothed their senses greatly. Nevertheless, Leon’s face, looking at the jolly Little Kennedy, held a layer of contemplation and turmoil. What was he thinking that made him brood amidst this beautiful scenery?
“Hey. What’s wrong, big guy?”
While Leon was focused on his daughter, Mrs. Kennedy’s focus was on her brooding husband. She scooted closer to him and took his hand in hers: the giant and the gentle.
“Nothing… It’s just… Thoughts…”
Leon’s voice, saying those words, was full of vulnerability. Contrary to his giant body and his usual confidence, his voice made him look small and defenseless.
“Thoughts? Okay, I’m listening.”
Mrs. Kennedy replied firmly. She encourages Leon to speak his mind gently. Her smooth thumb rubbed on the rough back of his hand slowly. It was the rule of the Kennedy household, the one that Mrs. Kennedy established: when you have a problem, you tell, and we fix it together, as a family. Her voice left no place for negotiation.
Leon chuckled softly, but his hand held Mrs. Kennedy’s dear, like a lifeline.
“It’s just… I’m afraid…. Every time you and Little One have to take the test… I’m afraid that one of you will come out and not be alright. And that… it will be my fault… for selfishly asking for this.”
When Leon said “this”, he was talking about the fact that someone like him was married, he was talking about the fact that someone like him had a daughter, the fact that someone like him selfishly asked for a family from the woman who was the world to him and had a daughter with her, despite not knowing that he was infected, at the time, with Raccoon City Syndrome. And Mrs. Kennedy knew what Leon's “this” meant.
“Oh, Leon… It’s not your fault. When you asked me for her, we both didn’t know that you were infected. Besides, we were already cured, right? And it is all thanks to you, who found us both the Elpis cure. Today’s test was just to make sure that the cure is working. So please, don’t blame yourself.”
Leon knew that his wife was telling the truth. Logically speaking, he had nothing to worry about. The cure was found, and all of them received it. Their infection symptoms were all gone, and the test said so too.
But.
From his entire life fighting against the horror, facing an unimaginable amount of terror, and seeing those terrifying consequences of this infection firsthand, Leon’s emotional mind couldn’t rest easy.
What if the cure just gives them false hope?
What if the symptom is developing underneath without the test being able to catch it?
What if something sinister is brewing in secret against his desire to have a happy family?
What if this happens? Or what if that happens?
Those questions were blaring inside Leon’s mind, bombarding him with fear and guilt. And not knowing the action of himself, he gripped Mrs. Kennedy’s hand tighter - close to being painful - as he spiraled. He was thinking nonsense; his logical mind knew that. But fear was a powerful force that even a seasoned warrior like him couldn’t totally conquer when it came to his family matters.
“Leon!”
Seeing her husband spiral, Mrs. Kennedy cut through his nonsense with her firm voice. She could feel the forceful grip from her husband’s big hand, but didn’t flinch at all. She looked at him right into his eyes. Her gaze was strong, grounded, and acted as an anchor for Leon to hold on to guide himself out of his own sea of negative thoughts. And he then noticed that he was bruising his wife’s hand.
“Sorry! I… did it again.”
Leon’s voice was full of shame as he averted his wife’s gaze. But Mrs. Kennedy didn’t let him do that and cupped both sides of his cheek to make him look her in the eyes.
“Leon,” started Mrs. Kennedy with her firm yet gentle voice, “We are gonna be okay.”
Leon’s breath hitched, and Mrs. Kennedy continued with the voice meant to ground her husband.
“I chose this, too. When you asked me to start this family with you, I chose this of my own accord. We are partners, remember? And partners deal with every shit together, regardless. So you don’t have to burden everything on your own shoulders, you dumbass. If you are scared, let me be with you. We are in this together. So stop fucking overthinking by yourself, and let me overthink with you. Because that is what lovers do. We overthink together, get through shits together, and most importantly…”
Mrs. Kennedy turned to the jolly Little Kennedy, who was still playing with her Sparxie toy.
“... We take responsibility together… And besides, you are the reason she can play with that smile on her face, in this fucked-up world.”
Leon followed his wife and turned to his jolly daughter, who was playing with a carefree smile in a world where danger was everywhere. It was that smile he was fighting for, it was this peace he shed his blood for, and it was this family he risked his life to maintain.
By the end of Mrs. Kennedy’s strong and certain words, Leon’s unsettling heart was settled momentarily. He let her anchor him, ground him by her firm touch on both sides of his cheek. His stubble was a rough texture between them, but the feeling the touch conveyed was nothing but soothing. Leon’s heart beat slower, while his weary mind stopped processing the future and returned to the present.
“Better?”
Mrs. Kennedy asked, turning back to Leon. And Leon slowly nodded at his wife.
“Better. Thank you. Really.”
Hearing that, Mrs. Kennedy smiled approvingly.
“You’re welcome. That’s why you married me, no?”
“Right. That’s basically why.”
The ring on her finger shone against the afternoon sunlight. The cold metal touching his face gave him the warmth that the sunny rays couldn’t even compete with. Her ability to ground him was why he was still here, sane. After tons of shit he had been through, the woman who could keep up with his ass and smack some sense back to him was more than anything Leon could ask for from his partner.
Mrs. Kennedy is perfect, his perfect.
Only with her can he afford to be this vulnerable. Only with her can he be this young, traumatized young cop who had not grown much from that day in Raccoon City. Only her. Always her.
And, as the two adults exchanged affectionate gazes and loving smiles, the child ran to them.
“Daddy! Mommy! Ahhh!!! You are lovey-dovey again!”
Hearing what their daughters said, both parents giggled affectionately.
“What’s the matter, dear?” Mrs. Kennedy asked.
“I’m bored playing by myself. Can you come play with me?” Little Kennedy asked with her doe eyes.
“My, my, how could I say no to that face?” Mrs. Kennedy turned to Leon, who got her signal.
“Right, right. Let’s play together,” replied Leon.
“Yippee!!! Play, play! We play together!”
Then Little Kennedy dragged both of her parents to play with her in the park. They ran around, yelled happily, and played silly together. The smiles were stuck on their faces. Laughter was their constant. And the gazes both parents looked at their child were of pride and joy.
They spent the whole afternoon on their picnic. Then, when they got back home, it was late evening.
The Kennedys went through their normal evening routine: having an easy, home-cooked dinner together (homemade pasta from Mrs. Kennedy) before taking a shower together.
It was pretty late already when they were in pajamas, so Leon took Little Kennedy to bed. And the ritual of reading her a bedtime story was not negotiable. With his husky voice, coming out from his giant Adam's apple, Leon S. Kennedy performed his hardest mission: trying to sound cute when reading the princess part.
“Oh, my hero. Thank you for saving me from that monster.”
Leon tried his best to sound like a beautiful princess, but his voice made it sound like a princess having her worst sore throat, which earned him a cute giggle from his daughter.
“Princess sounds funny.”
“And you have to call Daddy out like that.”
With all of his affection towards his daughter, showing vividly in his gentle smile and kind gaze towards her, Leon caressed Little Kennedy’s head with love and kissed her head with all the care in the world. It was not like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She was the most precious thing in the world to him. Not hypothetically, but actually.
“Daddy. Are monsters real?”
The question was from the bedtime story Leon just read. Little Kennedy asked with her eyes full of innocent curiosity, making Leon face the dilemma: lying for her goodnight sleep or telling her the truth about what he had been experiencing his whole life. But parenting was sometimes about going with your gut, and that moment, Leon’s gut made him tell his daughter the truth in a gentle way.
“Yes. They are real.”
Leon didn’t know why. But he didn’t want to pretend. Why would he? He had been fighting monsters and horror his entire life. He thought maybe he wanted his daughter to know the truth about this world more, but some parts of him critiqued him for telling the truth that would risk ruining the innocence he had been working so hard to protect. Leon didn’t know, and that’s why he looked at his daughter for her reaction.
Surprisingly, Little Kennedy did not look terrified or scared. Her eyes went even more curious, while her hands gripped her blanket with enthusiasm rather than fear.
“Are they scary?”
Little Kennedy asked with her little voice.
“They are. Very scary.”
Somehow, some way, the air between their exchange became lighter and less suffocating than Leon first thought it would be.
“You fought them?”
“I did.”
“Did you win?”
“I did. Every. Single. Time.”
Little Kennedy beamed her smile.
“Then, I’m not scared. Because Daddy is here. Because Daddy is my superhero.”
The words from his daughter clenched his heart strongly with their warmth and love. Tears nearly welled in his eyes as he looked at her beaming smile full of trust in him.
Leon caressed his daughter’s head in response and kissed her temple with all the love in the world he could convey to her.
“Daddy will protect you and Mommy. Always. I promise.”
“Um! Promise. And I will protect Daddy, too!”
Leon couldn't help but smile so gently.
“You already did, Little One. You already did.”
Leon kissed his daughter’s forehead one last time before tucking her to sleep eventually. He then returned to his bed, where Mrs. Kennedy was reading the result of today’s test with her glasses on.
“What are you doing, genius?”
Leon got on the spot next to Mrs. Kennedy on the bed, and the wife automatically scooted closer to her husband to rest her head on his big, muscular chest.
“Reading the result of the test. The Elpis cure you found in your Requiem mission is very impressive.”
“That impressive?”
Leon wrapped his big arm around Mrs. Kennedy's shoulder and pulled her even closer to him. His hand mindlessly drew a pattern on her upper arm.
“Yeah. No sign of the virus remained. As expected from the cure from the very person responsible for the birth of the virus itself. It is really his requiem.”
“I see…,” kissed Mrs. Kennedy’s forehead, “... Now you ready to sleep?”
“Sounds nice. Yeah, let’s sleep. It has been a long day.”
Mrs. Kennedy put her glasses and the test document on her bedside and slept with Leon. Her back was against his giant body as he wrapped his big arms around her waist. Their breaths eventually turned equal. And as they were about to fall asleep, Leon whispered his thoughts.
“Thank you. For making me feel alive again.”
Hearing that, Mrs. Kennedy smiled and patted her husband’s big, calloused hand on her waist.
“Just promise me not to do anything stupid next time.”
Hearing that, Leon chuckled, then smiled against Mrs. Kennedy’s head.
“Me? Never.”
And with that, the day of Mr. Kennedy concluded.
The war might not be over yet, and the terror might not be all gone.
But for this very moment, having his wife in his arms and his daughter smiling for him were more than enough, more than he could even ask for.
Tomorrow, Leon S. Kennedy will return to being a superhero.
But tonight, in this moment, he is just Leon, a husband and a father to his beloved wife and daughter.
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