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For as long as you've known him, Leon has always managed to cope with all kinds of severe discomfort without so much as twitching even a single muscle to give away his moment of weakness.
It came with the job, this undeniable hardiness of his. His impressive ability to endure aches and pains that no average person would ever be able to bear with without losing their cool after a while of this tremendous strain being put on their body and mind.
He was the strongest man you've ever known, and not only because of the rugged grit gathered in the tight muscle buried beneath the skin scattered in faint scars both old and new, but also because of his sheer willpower as well. You've admired that steely strength of his, his endurance in the face of so many hardships, both physical and mental, his wonderful ability to still come home to you with a warm smile on his face and an unmistakable gentleness to his touch only someone with a truly good heart could possess.
Leon was incredibly strong, but he never let that strength chip away at the softness of his heart.
However, there were times when you'd find yourself wishing he wouldn't need to be so strong and durable just to survive. He might have not shown it openly to the world, but you could tell that this strength of his came with its drawbacks. Not even a seasoned agent like Leon Kennedy could keep up his strength for eternity without it inevitably weighing on him eventually. You could see it in the tired sighs leaving his lips as he'd go about his morning routine, in the stiffness coiling deep in his hunched shoulders as he'd try and lay back with you on the couch, in the absentminded ways his hands would reach over to rub at a lingering ache he probably thought you wouldn't notice.
Leon was more than accustomed to bearing with his pain and adversities independently, always making sure that they wouldn't make him stumble, regardless of the sheer amount of effort required of him to clench his fists and grind his teeth to power through it. His persistence was admirable, but it'd also leave your heart aching for him. Whenever you'd put a soothing hand on his bruised shoulder, or help him with his bandages after a particularly hard mission, it hurt to see him try to laugh off his obvious discomfort like it wasn't something worth attending to. Like he didn't deserve to be cared for and express his pain without having to push it down the best he could. You knew he had every right to do that. Unfair or not, the simple fact of the matter was that giving in to his pain and tiredness could mean certain death out there on the battlefield, and Leon was never one to give up without putting up one hell of a fight.
You only wished he knew that allowing you to show him some gentle love and care whenever he was in pain was not the same as having to admit defeat in front of an enemy. So, you took it upon yourself to match his stubbornness with one of your own, instead of simply sitting back and watching him handle everything on his own like he usually would. It took lots of trial and error. You never read Leon as one to be sneaky until you had to catch him slipping out of bed in the middle of the night to change his bandages without you noticing. Or his sudden fondness for stuffy sweaters that would completely envelop his robust build and rather conveniently conceal any obvious indications of a strained hunch to his shoulders from your watchful gaze.
It was as frustrating as it was honestly kind of cute.
Good thing you've always had a way of finding a key to his heart and eventually making him listen when he wouldn't otherwise. You could recount countless of funny situations that ended up being born out of your shared stubbornness to see things through 'till the end. You reprimanding him like a disappointed parent, him diverting your attention with his typical Leon charm that has successfully distracted on more occasions than you'd like to acknowledge, the two of you playfully scuffling over the antibacterial cream until the otherwise somber mood would transform into shared laughter. In a way, turning this disagreement between you two into a game of sorts has helped you figure it out, little by little. It helped Leon not feel as bad for making you worry when he could see you laughing and having fun, and it helped you to not be too pushy with him out of your growing concern for his well-being.
Nowadays, Leon has been much better at letting you soothe his many aches and pains, and you no longer felt the itching need to practically push and prod him into finally accepting your help. Therefore, you knew you had to take action the moment you noticed the usual heavy hunch to his shoulders and the occasional muffled grunt of discomfort that would escape past his lips whenever he'd remain in one place for a while.
"Where does it hurt?" You simply asked, fingertips already reaching forward to curl into the stiff muscle of his broad shoulders with practicality only known to you alone, after years of careful and loving understanding of all the parts he'd keep hidden from the rest of the world, his weak spots included. You knew he'd rather handle it himself than have you worrying over him. He was always stubborn like that, refusing to let anyone help him ease the burdens off of his shoulders, whether they were physical or not.
Good thing you were just as stubborn, and that stubbornness has produced its results.
Even if he tried, he couldn't quite get to those painful knots buried in the muscle beneath the skin of his back on his own. Simply powering through it wasn't so healthy, but that's what he'd usually do instead, his back tense and his jaw set tight. Normal things for anyone else, maybe, but obvious indications of his pain for you. The least you could do was nudge him into letting you help him out a little. His back and shoulders were already under too much stress. It was important to let them rest and unwind after all the strain they were constantly put under. What better way to do so than with your full and loving attention?
And the same applied to Leon Kennedy himself, something you wordlessly reminded him with a lingering kiss to his temple from your position situated behind him on the couch.
His muscular frame naturally arched into your touch like an old tomcat longing for some well-earned affection, and he instantly responded to your attention with an abrupt, bashful chuckle that sounded more like relief than the usual playfulness he'd offer you. It made you smile, a familiar warmth full of fondness for the wonderful man in front of you tickling at your insides, no matter how many years have passed. Then again, he was never shy about his feelings for you, whether innocent or not. You liked that about him, never having to wonder twice whether he still cared for you as much as he did before or not.
Whenever Leon looked back at you with that knowing smile, you never had to question the warmth that filled those blue eyes of his.
But, he deserved to receive the same in turn. To be as cared for and loved as he made you. You knew this man was selfless to a fault, yet another quality you've always admired deeply about him. But sometimes, this selflessness would end up leading him astray as well. Contrary to what he may have believed, there was nothing honorable about clenching his teeth and enduring needless suffering without allowing someone to ease it for him. He didn't have to handle everything on his own.
"...Everywhere," he finally admitted to you gruffly after a moment, another soft groan rumbling low in his throat as you worked over a particularly tense area near his shoulder blade, his head tipping forward. Admittedly, the sound was more than a little distracting, especially since your hands were still vigorously caressing and kneading into the strong muscle hiding beneath his shirt. But you didn't let your head get too far up in the clouds for him. For now, at least. Not when he was still in pain. He smirked: "Some real magic fingers you've got there, sweetheart."
You didn't even need to see his face to know he was probably wearing that tiny grin you knew so well whenever he'd throw in a flirty comment to relieve the tension in the room. It was difficult to contain your own smile, a tiny puff of breath escaping your nose in the form of a ghostly laugh. It was enough to be heard, though, and Leon would take even the smallest of hints of your appreciation for his sharp tongue.
Once upon a time, his tendency to shoulder everything on his own would have you continuously frightened for his sake and on watch for any hidden hints of him leaving things unsaid or keeping you in the dark for no reason other than his steadfast desire to keep you safe and away from any and all harm. And while this stubbornness of his still remained unchanged, the gradual relaxation to his wound up shoulders under your touch wordlessly reassured you that he was okay with accepting your help now. He was open, no longer eager to confront everything alone, and able to express his pain to you in the way you knew he wanted you to do for him in return, even though it might have occasionally required some prodding and pushing on your behalf.
Some tender touch and a little verbal encouragement could go a long way, as it turns out. You've convinced him that even the ugliest of his pains and difficulties would never ruin the peace and love you've built together over the years.
He twisted slightly without fully pulling away from you so those sharp eyes could lock onto yours from this angle: half-lidded and filled with something other than just pain or exhaustion, if that dreamy smile of his was anything to go by. With a single glance like that, you couldn't help but question whether he would ever stop sweeping you off your feet without even trying. Cliche or not, he undoubtedly still had you wrapped around his finger. But it was a two-way street arrangement, so you wouldn't complain about it. Even if he had a knack for scattering your thoughts and leaving your head empty of everything except for him and him alone.
"I won't be able to focus if you keep ogling me like that, you know," you scolded him playfully, nudging his head back down until he relented with a soft chuckle of his own.
"Tease."
You were on the verge of huffing at him. He's one to talk about being a tease.
"Just stay still and let me hop to your back next. No surprises, you hear me?"
You were aware that your hands had now grown hot against his strained muscles as a result of the friction of you kneading his shoulders earlier. Perfect for helping out with the worst of those knots. You did, however, mentally note to yourself to get that cream for him before going to bed. Still, for now, your hands - and your attention - would suffice. You could already feel his posture softening little by little, his breathing easing into slow, soft sighs, and his hands, which had earlier been tightened into fists, relaxing against the couch. But he showed no signs of wanting you to stop any time soon.
Every time you'd give him your full attention like this, whether it was physical or not, he would become a little greedy with it. You weren't about to call him out on it. If anything, you were more than prepared to give into all of his wants. Once you pull back and let this moment come to its end, who knows when he'd once again feel tense or pained in some way. You both knew you would gladly savor these brief but priceless moments of pure bliss for as long as you could.
Leon's eyes fluttered shut with a soft exhale as you moved your careful but thorough touches further down the length of his spine, a light shiver running through him when you'd graze a particularly sensitive spot hidden under all the sturdy muscle. You almost wanted to crack a joke of your own, to playfully suggest how you should maybe play nurse for him next time he deals with some lingering ache again. The mental image of serving him some warm soup in a cute nurse outfit certainly had you stiffling a laugh to yourself. Something told you that if that was the case, he wouldn't be able to stay still long enough for you to perform any proper healing.
Some fantasies are better left for the future, you supposed.
Your fingers kneaded into the hardness of his lower back, causing him to shudder and make an unexpected, relief-filled groan. Though, he was quick to recover with an easy laugh, once again breaking your unspoken arrangement by glancing back at you over his shoulder.
"-You know, I think I'd rather you hop on something else rather than my back right now," he shot back with a sly grin, his eyes blatantly appreciating your form as they traced over you from top to bottom.
You stopped where you were and blinked a few times as the cheesy innuendo essentially ruined the warm atmosphere you had so thoughtfully created for him. You couldn't pretend to be frustrated with him, though. Not when this is the same kind of stupid you fell for in the first place. So, instead of calling him out on his typical Leon Kennedy charm, you settled for another kiss, this one pressed right at the nape of his neck where the last whisps of his hair would end. It was a light one, but it was still a silent promise of what would follow if he behaved.
"When I know you're all better and not just distracting me with that smart mouth of yours? I'll do exactly that and more. Deal?"
His shoulders tensed a tiny bit under your lips, but this time, not from pain, if that tiny hitch to his breath was anything to go by. You knew his neck was tender to touch. That's why you'd always treat it with extra care. But occasionally, after an especially difficult day, leaving him writhing and panting under your unrelenting kisses was just what he needed to decompress. His grin only grew at your promise, a low hum of approval rumbling through his chest.
"Alright, deal. But, you know, my mouth is useful for a lot more than just talking."
You could only roll your eyes and nudge him to lie down with a snort of your own. Leave it to him to always get the last word in.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, honey."
Even though it came with a good portion of his typical flirting, it was still nice to have him so compliant for once. You knew it meant a great deal for him to completely lower his guard like this and let you see him at his most vulnerable, and that included allowing you to ease his aches and pains without hiding them away from your sight. Being Leon's safe haven to close his eyes and relax was the best honor you could have received.
And you'd take it - or him - for granted.