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The keycard scanner lights up green as Leon Kennedy removes his DSO issued card from the slot. Pushing through the doors, the receptionists greet him friendly, only to be met with a nod as he walks by them. Putting his hands in his jacket pockets, he makes it through the hallway twists and turns and arrives at the elevators. Pushing “9” button, Leon leans against the elevator walls and huffs a breath outward. A chime awakens him from his restful slumber, and he pushes towards his bosses office.
“Mr. Kennedy, thanks for coming here so early. I have your new mission and housing information.” The man hands him a folder filled with many papers.
“Thanks.” Leon says coldly, looking down at the folder. He gives his boss a nod and exits the room. Now in his own personal office, he sits in his chair and begins to read the assortment of files. He scanned through the information, picking out important details of locations, names, and times. He accepted the mission, It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before, he thought. Moving on to the second set of papers, he reviewed the details of his new housing. He was no stranger to residing in a safe house, and he had plenty of roommates, all of which he tried to ignore until he moved on to the next mission. This new safe house was much nicer than many of the past ones Leon had had to stay in. The pictures displayed beautiful light fixtures and marble countertops. The square footage was nice too, lots of room to hide from his new roommate. Turns out this roommate was an FBI agent, as opposed to the usual fellow DSO employee. He rarely travelled to the FBI sector of the building, so this would be uncharted territory for him.
Pulling up to the safe house, Leon turned off his newly bought Porshe—thanks to his hefty government paycheck—and stepped out onto the pavement of the driveway. His roommate’s car was beside him, and of similar value to his. As he walked up to the door, he became unsure of whether to knock or barge right in—it was his house after all. Settling in the middle, he decided to loudly jangle the door handle and open it, as to alert the FBI agent her roommate was now home. The house still looked untouched, aside from a set of keys that lay on the dark marble counters. As he shut the door, perhaps too loudly, you—a woman much smaller in stature than him—rounded the corner and met him near the coat rack.
“Oh, hey. You’re…” You said, an awkward smile plaguing your face.
“Leon. Kennedy.”
“Right. DSO.” You introduced herself, smiling more confidently now. “Nice to finally meet you I guess,” You chuckled, trying to ease the awkwardness of meeting your new roommate.
“Yeah, you too.” Leon responded, only the left side of his mouth creeping up in a shy smirk.
“I only just got here. Haven’t made my claim to any room yet. Wanted to hash that out with you in person. Both of the bedrooms are upstairs, across the hall from each other, they’re virtually the same. One has a window, though.” You said to him, walking over to the counter where you had left one of your bags on the chair nearby.
“You pick one. I’ll take the other. Appreciate the thought.” The brunette responded, moving to set his luggage down as well.
The night went easy, with the two choosing their subsequent rooms and making them feel like home. You got the room with the window, as you claimed it made you feel less trapped. Dinner had already been ate, so neither of them had to cook. Leon stayed in his room the remainder of the evening, and you decided to lay claim on the TV for a while. You turned on your favorite movie to calm your mind, as being in a new place with a strange man isn’t exactly calming itself. It was nearly midnight now, and you had fallen asleep before finishing the movie. Leon had abruptly—and unsurprisingly—awakened in a cold sweat, and decided to get a glass of water. He noticed you sitting on the couch, unmoving, not knowing you were asleep. The TV was nearly silent, so he tried to be as quiet as possible as to not scare you. As he reached for a glass, it clinked with those nearby and caused you to jolt awake, thinking someone had breached the safe house. Turning around rapidly, you locked eyes with Leon, wide-eyed and mid-glass grab. He broke the eye contact and mouthed a “sorry” as he turned to fill the cup with water. You relaxed when you realized you weren’t in danger.
“Have you been asleep? Or been up this whole time?” You said to him, turning the TV off and adjusting the couch back to looking more orderly.
“Asleep. Woke up thirsty. You know how it is.” He said, taking a sip of the cold water. He pressed the glass to his forehead in an attempt to calm his nervous system.
“Nightmare?” You said, cutting right into his soul. It stopped him in his tracks. Of course he had a nightmare, he has them every night. How would you have known, though? He was moved to say something, but couldn’t. “You don’t have to talk about it. I get them too. I haven’t exactly been on the frontlines—but the stories, the pictures and videos… they still haunt me too, you know.” Leon smiled more surely now—though still awkward—and averted your gaze. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Mr. Kennedy.” You walked past him, heading to your room.
“‘Night.” He said, the smirk on his face fading. His arms were spread on the counter, a tendon in his forearm twitching. Leon’s mind was flooded with the remnants of his nightmare, and he decided to try to go back to sleep too.
It was five months until Leon had to leave for his mission. On the other hand, you did all your work from the comfort of the house. Every night or so, you alternated making meals, and it’s safe to say yours were definitely better than Leon’s. Slowly, the two of you opened up and became more friendly. One might say you were now acquaintances. Leon began to crack more jokes upon discovering that you found them quite funny. Anytime you left the house, Leon would say, “Where you goin’? Bingo?” And all you could do was scoff and tell him to not have too much fun without you. Every Friday and Saturday was spent watching a movie together. Some sucked, some became your joint favorites.
One night though, you had had the misfortune of having an awful nightmare. You lied restlessly in your bed, trying to forget the images your brain had created. After roughly twenty minutes of counting the tiles on the ceiling, you had to get the blood flowing in your body. You left your room, traveling into the kitchen to do god-knows what—whatever you could to get your mind in another place. That was when you spotted Leon, on the couch, head resting on the back of it. He must’ve heard the floorboards creaking as you approached, because he lifted his head and turned to see you. “Hey.” he said. Moving his arm to rest on the backside of the couch.
“Hey.” you replied, walking over to sit near him. You let out a deep breath, now resting your head on the edge of the couch, making him move his arm so that you could lay your head where his hand was.
“Are we here for the same reason?” Leon said, looking over at you.
“Think so. How long have you been up?”
“An hour. Don’t know what to do.” He replied, crossing his arms now.
“Hmm. Want to watch a movie?” You asked, little to no enthusiasm in your voice from your fatigue. He nodded, reaching for the remote and handing it to you. You turned on a classic, one of your and Leon’s favorite. Soon, your eyelids began to ache and they drifted closed. You had became suddenly comfortable on the couch, somehow more than your own bed. It seems Leon fell asleep not much longer after you, as you didn’t wake up until the sun began to peek through the living room window. When your eyes opened, you took in your surroundings. TV off, blinds closed, and your head on Leon’s shoulder. He was still asleep, because he otherwise would not have allowed this to continue much longer. Though when you realized you had spent the night practically cuddled up with your roommate, he too awakened to a weight lifting from his left shoulder. No words were said for a few moments, until Leon greeted you;
“Morning,”
“Hey,” you responded, averting his eyes as to avoid him possibly confronting you about how you ended up snuggling with him.
“Comfortable?” You knew it. Of course he’d have something to say. Maybe you’d try to match his sass.
“Eh, not really. Your shoulder is quite boney. Big, but boney.” you said, turning before you could catch a glimpse of his defeated face. Leon on the other hand, looked up at you as you turned, shaking his head in defeat, though still smirking because of your compliment towards his “big” shoulders.
It was now the day Leon had to leave for his mission. With his bag packed and his keys in hand, he headed for the door. Though before he opened it to leave, he called out to you.
“I’m leaving,” he said as you rounded the corner to meet him. You nodded, knowing that there was a possibility that he may not return, though that chance slim.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Leon.” you said to him.
“Me? Never.” His mouth twitch upwards as he almost smiled, though he tried to stop it from forming.
“See you.” you said, smiling as he finally twisted the doorknob and began walking towards his Porsche.
It had been one week. One week you spent alone in the safe house, feeling not so safe without Leon Kennedy’s presence. He always made the house feel just a bit more safe, with his large stature and aptness for defense. There was even one night when a bat had flown into your bedroom window, causing you to yell in initial fear. Leon jolted awake to the loud noise, rushing to your room in hopes he wouldn’t find you being held at gunpoint by a criminal. As he bursted in your room, magnum revolver in hand, he found you with your hand clutched at your chest, upright in your bed.
“Shit, what happened?” Leon asked you, lowering his gun and moving closer to you.
“Something… something hit the window. Think it was a bat or something. Scared the shit out of me. Sorry.” you said, taking a deep breath.
“All good. You okay?” He asks, also taking a deep breath and loosening his shoulders.
“Fine. Thank you for checking on me. Could’ve been serious, you know?”
“Yeah. No problem. ‘Night.” Leon hesitantly exited your room, getting back into the dark grey blankets that covered his bed.
Though when you received a text from Leon’s number saying Just landed. Be home soon. All good here. You felt your heart ease when you learned he was alive. For some reason, you felt the need to tidy up the house before he arrived. There were papers spread everywhere from your manic work, and you knew Leon wouldn’t appreciate it after coming home from such an intense mission.
Wiping down the last table was when you heard a car door close outside the house. Putting the cleaner away and the paper towel in the trash, you walk over to the door, wiping your hands of any grime that had gotten there. The door opened before you could reach it, and you met Leon’s hardened gaze, which softened upon seeing you. He looked like he had been through the wringer, bruises covering his whole body—from what skin was exposed—and there was dried blood and dirt staining his skin and shirt. He said your name with a ragged breath, shutting the door and limping towards you.
“Leon…” you reached for him, practically catching him before he fell on you. “You are not ‘all good’, liar,” you said, guiding him towards the kitchen counter.
“Got a bit tied up playing bingo,” he says, groaning once he takes a seat. He continues to reach for his side, it clearly bothering him. You scoffed at his quip, though quickly returning to a scowl.
“Don’t move. I’m going to get you some stuff to help.”
“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He says, strained. You quickly return with the large first aid kit you found in the bathroom cupboard. You grabbed a wet rag and began to clean the wounds you could currently access. He winced when you would clean them too rough, though he never put up a fight.
“Are there more under your shirt? Can I see?” you asked, gesturing towards the spot he had been holding since he came through the door. Without responding, he lifted up the side of his shirt to reveal countless more wounds, and god only knows what lied beneath the rest of his clothes. “Jesus, Leon, take off your shirt.” He exhaled sharply as he lifted his arms to take his shirt off, and you helped him get the last of it as to not injure him any more. His torso was riddled with bruises and cuts—no spot was left untouched. You winced when you saw the injuries, and reached back for the now red-tinted rag. Through the whole cleaning process, Leon took many sharp inhales and let out many stifled groans. Once he was clean of blood, you began to patch him up. You could tell he relaxed a little, realizing you were intently nursing him back to health. Though he was still in pain, his mind wandered when he tuned into the feeling of your fingers delicately laying a bandaid over a large cut on his chest. His mind snapped back to reality when he realized you had finished. You got up to get him a glass of water, to which he downed in a matter of seconds.
“Better?” You said, closing the first aid kit. Leon sighed a breath of relief.
“Better. Thanks.”
“I’m going to throw this bloody shirt in the laundry and grab you a new one. Try not to run away.” You say, lightly tapping his knee as you get up.
“Yes ma’am.” He says, laying his head on his hand atop the counter.
Leon slept like a baby that night. He didn’t even snore. You don’t think he even had a nightmare either. He had slept in until roughly noon, and you figured—though he definitely needs the sleep—that he can’t sleep all day. You knocked on his door and called his name, but no response. Opening the door, you found him on his stomach sprawled on his bed, deep in slumber.
“Leon?” you whispered, walking slowly towards him. You said his name again, this time he shifted. “Hey, wake up Mr. Kennedy.” Finally, he lifts his head and turns towards you, eyes barely open.
“Fuck me, what time is it?” He says, his voice octaves lower than usual.
“12:30,” you say, putting your hands on your hips. He sighs and falls back on his bed, hand on his forehead. “How do you feel?”
“Like a million bucks.” he retorts, sarcasm tainting his voice.
“Well come on, you need to eat something.” you begin to walk towards the doorway as he begins to say something.
“What are you, my mother?” you quickly turn and scowl at him, rolling your eyes as you hang a right down the hall. Although he would never admit it to your face, Leon secretly adored your help to him. He had always been the one to help others, yet no one ever helped him. You made him feel seen.
Weeks later, Leon was finally almost fully healed. Nowadays, you consider Leon a friend, and you hoped he did too. Fridays and Saturdays were still movie nights. You still made the best meals. He sat at the kitchen counter and talked with you as you prepared the food. Tonight was Sunday, but Leon sat beside you on the couch as he scrolled through countless streaming services.
“What haven’t we watched?” You said, angling your head towards him, slightly frowning.
“I know. A scary movie.” Leon said, not joining the eye contact.
“On the Lord’s day?!”
“What? Got some sins you want to confess?” He says, looking at you now.
“Leon!” You replied, turning away from him.
“Come on. I know you’ll like this one.” He stops on a movie that looks particularly traumatizing. You succumb to his persuasion however, and tense in your seat as the movie begins. The first half of the movie was slow and suspenseful, and you knew there would be a jump-scare soon. As the music tensed and the threat loomed, you couldn’t bear it any longer. You turned to Leon and hid your face in the side of his arm in fear.
“Oh my gosh. I can’t handle this,” You say, peeking out back to the movie. Suddenly, the main character is ambushed and the tension breaks. You yelp and jolt, instinctively grabbing Leon’s arm. He laughs at you now, clearly amused by your infantile behavior. He moved his arm from your grasp, not avoiding it, but to move it behind you. You inched slightly closer to him now, embracing his security. The movie continued, and there were only a few small jump-scares along the way—to which you jumped only slightly at, and Leon continued to make fun of you for. The movie concluded and you leaned your head back, landing on Leon’s forearm. You sighed a breath of relief, letting the tension leave your body.
“What’d you think?” He says, looking down at you.
“Oh. I loved it. Thank you for sharing.” you say straight-faced. Leon didn’t respond, he only exhaled through his nose and shook his head, smirking. Once again, Leon became overly aware of his body, turning his attention to your back nearly pressed against his chest and his arm around your shoulder. There was something different about this moment of safety he was providing for you. Typically, he provided safety by killing monsters and doing unnecessary backflips. Yet, here he was, making you feel safe just by the placement of his body next to yours. It made his stomach flutter, something he hadn’t felt in way too long. His mind raced with thoughts he hadn’t thought before, but ones that felt right. “It’s okay. At least I had my knight in shining armor here to protect me.” you say, breaking him out of his trance. You looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, a devious look on your face.
“Well, it’s a good thing I like being your knight in shining armor.” Leon says, smiling down at you. The air in the room shifts, as your thoughts begin to race too. You began to notice the way he looked in this moment. His hair unkempt, eyes soft, brows relaxed. He didn’t normally look like this. He always had the outer shell of “tough guy”, yet it seemed that shell had broken just now. You could tell Leon was studying your face, trying to pin point what you were thinking. “What are you thinking right now, huh?” He says, adjusting his arm on your shoulder, almost nudging you even closer than before. You shake your head, eyes lowering to his lips. Your mouth opens slightly, yet you don’t know what to say. Neither does he. Your eyes meet his again, and he begins to look at you in a different perspective. Leon swallowed harshly, and his eyes drifted towards your lips. You hadn’t even noticed your proximity had increased until his lips were on yours. The hand on your shoulder squeezed lightly, reassuring you. Your hand lightly touched his thigh but quickly advanced to rest on his shoulder. As the kiss deepened, Leon’s other hand moved to cradle your face to steady the both of you. Your hand did the same, feeling the short stubble on his jaw. Leon suddenly pulled away and studied your face, assuring he hadn’t made a mistake. You only smiled and laughed, your head and hand hitting his chest. Leon exhaled in relief, smiling as well. “You make a pretty convincing damsel.” He says, meeting your eyes.
“Why thank you, Mr. Kennedy.”
Your gaze traveled to his lips once again, savouring the recent memory of the feeling of them. His gaze however was far more erratic, as it darted to all features on your face, suddenly realizing how gorgeous you really were. You brought your eyes back to meet his and smiled, tilting your head to the side like a curious canine. Your hand drifted downwards from his neck, now resting on his chest.
“Would the damsel want to be saved tomorrow for dinner?” He says, eyes darting back and forth between your eyes and lips. You nod, grinning now.“Well. It’s a date.” Leon says, leaning back in for one last chaste kiss. You lean closer into him now, enjoying the warmth of his body as you drift to sleep on the couch to the sound of his steadying breathing and the light chatter of the TV.