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Leon after his parents died went through a few foster homes, but his last one he ended up in at 15 was great. He was older than the other kids, but that didn't matter. They all treated him well, and he came to quickly think of them as his own family.
Of course he lost all contact after Raccoon. He'd known everyone would be worried, but he couldn't focus on that. It was only after Spain did he get back in contact with them.
It was a mess reconnecting. They were all so worried about him and he couldn't explain anything.
“LEON!”
It took everything for him not to react violently at the sudden arms wrapping around him. He went stiff as a board but as soon as familiar eyes blinked tearily up at him, he melted.
God how he'd missed them all. It didn't take long for the other to pile onto him. He didn't cry but there were tears in his eyes. He thought he was above this kind of reaction that it had been trained out of him but apparently not.
“Jesus Leon where have you been?!” Rosa demanded.
She'd always been the closest to him being of a similar age and from a similar enough situation. He'd always considered her one of his best friends, and when he’d met Claire all he could think about was how similar she was to Rosa.
“It's…a long story. I'm sorry I'm so sorry I was gone for so long.”
“Will you explain it then?” Eliot asked.
Eliot was a few years younger than him and a good kid with a big heart.
“I'll explain what I can.” He relents easily.
“What do you mean what you can?!” Heather half shouts, her hands cupping his face. She had tears in her eyes and Leon felt horrible that his mother had to hurt because of him.
“It's more complicated than you know. The fact I'm here and able to speak and see you all is a miracle. But I can't explain everything I'm not allowed to.” He felt bad leaving them in the dark but it was for the best. It kept them safe and away from everything and really that didn't need to worry about him more than they already did.
“What the hell did you get dragged into boy?” Charlie asked before pulling him into a hug of his own.
Leon melted into the man, God he didn't know the half of it. “I can't tell you that Dad, just know it's nothing illegal and I'm not alone.”
It wasn't a lie, at least not now. He got to see Sherry and Claire now. He had Hunnigan who he tentatively considered a friend…Ada too maybe.
“You're an idiot if you think we'd ever think you got tangled up in something that hurt people.” Charlie scolded and Leon just laughed.
Rosa grabbed his hand, “Come on we have catching up to do.”
With that he was dragging into the house he grew up in.
None of them were satisfied with the answers he gave. Not that there were many answers in the first place, more half-truths and evasions. But they seemed happy enough that he was alive and safe.
He could do little more than give them the basics. He'd been in Raccoon and got out. Now he works for the government. Most of the public by now had realized that Raccoon was a cover-up for something much much worse. But he couldn't talk about it, so he just stayed silent when they questioned what actually happened.
He’s sure the haunted look in his eyes was answer enough.
Over the years he kept in contact. Sometimes it was sparse, but it was contact and for that they were appreciative. He came by when he could, but he was a busy man, and it was rare he had multiple days off in a row.
He knew he came home looking worse for wear more times than not. Sometimes he just needed some familiar faces after a particularly hard mission. They didn't question the bruises and bandages that covered him, just opened the door and greeted him with waiting arms.
He couldn't thank them enough for it all. Though sometimes he wondered what they would think of his life. He wished they could meet Claire and Sherry, wondering if one day they might be able to.
oO0Oo
Somehow, they'd managed to talk Leon into going on a family vacation. He'd protested at first citing he and vacations didn't mix well. When questioned why he'd grumbled something about always being stolen away by work.
“You have mandatory vacation days…they can't just keep you there Leon.” Eliot argued.
Leon had just snorted, “Yeah well I could probably take off two months straight with my racked-up days and I'd still not get a week.”
“That's not legal.”
“But it is reality. I can't even argue with it because it's always a good reason.” His brother lamented not even sounding bitter…just tired.
Well that just wouldn't do, “look we're going to Daytona not even out of the states, it'll just be a week and if you have to leave you have to leave.”
Leon seemed to think it over before relenting, “I'll ask…everything's quiet right now which I don't know if that's good or not, but It does mean I'm more likely to get this approved.”
That's all Elliot could ask for.
Sure enough, he got it approved and a week later they met him at the airport. They'd been on a different flight but thankfully it didn't take him much longer to arrive after them. He greeted them happily, and they were all happy to see he didn't have any new bruises on him like he usually did.
It didn't take them long to drive to the resort they were staying in for the week. The rooms were ready when they arrived thankfully, so it was easy to drag their stuff up. Leon was beyond helpful carrying most of it that didn't fit on the cart.
It was impressive how easy he made it look, not even breaking a sweat in the heat as he lugged well over 50 lb of weight up flights of stairs. After that it was beach time. They all changed quickly before heading down all chatting amiably. They ended up deciding to lay their stuff out here, and when they got hungry to head up to the neighboring pier to eat.
After a few hours Heather and Charlie called it saying they were heading up to get a drink and sit on the pier to just meet them there when they were ready to eat. Leon grumbled something about wanting a drink but was dragged down the beach further before he could get any ideas.
It was an hour later that Elliot had looked back to Leon after getting caught in another conversation with someone else they'd met. He saw Leon staring into the distance, his eyes wide and awed.
Following his eyes Eliot spotted perhaps the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She wore a red bikini and a pair of sunglasses and a sunhat he just knew were expensive.
Rosa seemed to spot the woman as well coming up next to him and letting out a low whistle. “Damn, we've lost Leon.”
“Can you blame him?” Eliot asked awed himself.
“No, no I don't think I can.”
Then Leon was speaking, “Ada?!”
The woman looked up and smirked giving a small wave, and like that Leon’s all but sprinting over.
“Wait hold up what?” Rosa yelped trailing after her brother with Eliot following on her heels.
Leon came to a stop in front of the woman and just smiled like an idiot. “Ada what, are you following me? Why the hell are you in Daytona?”
“Can't a girl take a vaccination?”
Leon snorted, “Yeah, and you just happened to be here. You could be in Cozumel or Aruba but you're here at the same time and place as me.”
“Oh don't flatter yourself rookie, you're not that important.”
Rookie? The siblings shared a glance. What an oddly specific nickname.
Leon snorts, “Well now I'm even more suspicious. Is it a job?”
“Why would I tell you that?” She questions as she looks over her sunglasses.
Leon huffs but steps closer, his hands twitching like he wants to reach out and touch. Ada sees it and just smirks up at him before cupping his face with a slender hand.
Eliot watches in real time as Leon melts into the touch. He hadn't even realized how tense he was before until now.
Ada just chuckles before leaning forward and giving him a peck on the lips. “Vacation looks good on you handsome, they should really let you off your leash more.”
Leon just smiles dopily at her, “You know they hate doing that.”
Ada made a displeased noise, “Yes well my offer always stands.”
Leon laughs at that, “You know how mad everyone would get? Chris would hunt me down and deliver me to Hunnigan trussed up like a deer.”
“That's not a bad mental image Kennedy, don't give me ideas.”
Leon just flushed brightly as Rosa and Eliot made a disgusted noise. It caught Ada’s attention as she turned to look at them. The siblings shuttered at the analyzing gaze that pierced through them like glass.
“Huh, and who is this?”
Leon just raised a brow at her after he looked over his shoulder to confirm who was behind him, “I think you already know that.”
She chuckled, “Guilty, I do my research. Hello Eliot, Rosa. My name's Ada.”
They hesitantly greeted her back unsure, and Leon just huffed as he went to explain. “Ada is…Ada works in the same field as me we run into each other often.”
That was vague and utterly unhelpful. He already didn't talk about what he did for work, all but avoided talking about it like the plague. Now this woman who was obviously something to him does the same thing?
Ada just laughs at him, her eyes dancing with mirth. “Great non-answer really hit it out of the park there.”
Leon grumbles and glares at her, but Ada is unaffected and just plucks at his shirt. “On a beach and you're still in a shirt?”
Leon sighs, “Ada you know why.”
She clicks her tongue, “And who cares? Not you, you've never cared what anyone had to say about the scars.”
Leon shifts his weight from foot to foot, obviously unsure as he shoots a look at his siblings. The message is clear, he cares about what they think.
“Does anyone care about mine?” Ada needled. Only then did Rosa and Eliot look close enough to see the numerous scars littering her body. They looked like they came from all kinds of things, some of which were definitely not quite normal.
Leon just laughed, “Ada there are much better things to pay attention to then your scars.”
Ada just raised a brow, “Oh really like what?”
Leon stuttered over himself and went an impressive shade of red. Ada seemed pleased with this reaction and just pulled at his shirt again.
“Off, you're going to overheat and die pathetically.”
“I can literally just get in the water. I'm not going to overheat.”
“Just do it for me.”
“I hate you.” Leon says but he peels his shirt off.
Rosa makes a choked off noise. Leon looks like he's been mauled, scars, gouges, burns, and more litter his skin. Nothing normal could have caused any of it. Eliot just started with wide eyes, his face pale.
Ada hummed before reaching out and tracing a small mark on his shoulder. “There it is.”
Leon just sighed, “Is that all you wanted to see? It's never going away you know.”
Ada shrugged, “It's just funny to me how we match.”
“That happens when we both get shot, ironically by the same person.” He agrees with a huff.
What?!
Ada without another word started dragging him into the ocean. Leon went with her willingly and the other two siblings followed along because what else were they going to do?
Ada was content to sit in the waves, and Leon seemed thrilled just to be there with her. They were an odd pair and asking what exactly they had going on was a helpless endeavor they quickly learned.
It seems neither of them are willing to put a name to it. And by the way Leon can't quite seem to keep his hands off her, it's clear this is a long-standing thing. Ada is…evasive with answering any questions they throw her way.
It's impressive how they don't even realize she's avoided answering something until five minutes later when they're on a completely different subject. Despite not answering really any questions she had a hilariously dry sense of humor that complimented Leon's stupid quips well.
Eventually everyone was tired and hungry enough to trudge back to the beach.
“Come eat with us.” Leon begged as they hit the edge of the water, the waves lapping at their feet.
“And why would I do that?”
“I'll pay, besides I've heard the food is amazing.”
“Fine.” She relented
They stopped by Ada’s stuff where she put on a nice shawl and grabbed the rest of her stuff. They walked to where their stuff was piled and did the same.
Leon offered his arm to Ada after taking her bag, and she just raised a dubious eyebrow at him. Leon didn't falter, just tilted his head.
Ada eyed him for a moment longer before with a grumble she took the offered arm and Leon smiled brightly. Soon enough they were walking up the stairs to the Sunglow Pier. Charlie and Heather were waiting for them.
Their parents' eyes go wide.
“Who is this?” Heather asked curiously.
Leon pulled out her chair for Ada to sit before taking his seat next to her, “Ada, she's a good friend of mine I happened to run into.”
“How did you meet?” Charlie asks as he eyes the two. It's clear to see they're more than just friends, but he graciously doesn't say that.
Leon shrugs lightly, “Racoon, she saved my life that night many times over.”
That has the whole table silent as the siblings berate themselves for not asking that. In retrospect, it was obvious with the nickname.
“And what? It's just a coincidence you ended up in the same field of work after?” Rosa drawls out completely unimpressed.
Leon just sighs, “To be fair, she was already a part of the field. I just happened to fall into it as well.”
Ada snorts at that and mutters something that sounds like ‘fell? more like forced’ that has Eliot feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. They'd had some not so fun theories about what exactly Leon did, and the more they heard and learned the worse it looked.
Their meal was delicious and Ada made nice with their parents. It didn't take long for them to fall in love with her, and Leon seemed thrilled. However, the whole time they ate Leon kept shooting glances towards her like he couldn't quite believe she was actually here instead of disappearing into the wind. Which in of itself raised questions.
The two of them still dodged more questions than they answered, but it was clear they were beyond close. Sure enough, Leon insisted on buying her meal, refusing their parents' offer to cover it.
“I offered I'm buying.” He'd grumbled before pulling out his card.
Ada just chuckled as she watched him fondly. “You are a gentleman, I'll give you that Kennedy.”
He just offers her a charming smile, “I try.”
They leave and Ada says she has to go. Leon grabs her arm looking at her with an unreadable expression. “You know where I am.”
“Always do.” She agreed.
With that she's walking off and Leon just stares after her.
“Okay Leon you have to actually explain what the hell?” Eliot demands looking back to his brother.
Leon just shrugs, “It's not really something I can explain she's…well I love her she knows that.” He admits it easily and it brings the others up short.
“If she'd let me marry her I would have years ago, but it's just not possible. Our lives are too different, at least for now. Maybe one day but for now we're just good friends and maybe a bit more than that.”
“And you didn't tell us?” Heather asked, sounding offended.
Leon scratches the back of his neck, “I never thought you'd meet her if I'm being honest. It's not that I was hiding it, it's more so just something I'm used to not talking about because I can't.”
“Can't?” Rosa asked cautiously.
“...we don't exactly work together…usually we are against each other.”
Oh, well that explained some things. It also raised questions they'd never get answered. For now however, that was fine. They didn't need all the answers, they were just happy to learn more about their brother and his life. This was only day one of seven, they still had plenty of time to go.