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The first thing Chris hears when entering the home is coughing and hacking coming from the bathroom. He drops the groceries onto the table as his heartbeat climbs with every cough and hack; the images of how bad Leon’s infection had gotten flash into his mind.
Chris silently cursed himself for watching what footage his squad had been able to recover from ARK. He remembers the black bruising that covered his husband’s body and the blood he had thrown up before fainting.
Thank God Grace was there to wake Leon. He feared that if Leon had not woken up, his husband would have succumbed to the infection.
The closer he got to the bathroom, the more he heard his heart hammering in his ears. Did… did the infection come back? Had Elpis not been the cure that everyone had thought?
“Leon?” Chris knocks on the bathroom door, “You, ok?”
There’s nothing.
The bathroom had gone quiet, and this didn’t sit well with Chris.
“Leon?”
Nothing.
“Leon, I’m coming in, ok?” Chris reaches out and grips the doorknob with a shaking hand. He slowly opens the door and calls out, “Leon?”
Chris opens the door and walks in, “Leon? Are you—”
He stops dead in his tracks at the sight of his husband. Leon is slumped with his back against the toilet and bathtub. Littering his body are the same black bruises that appeared with Raccoon City Syndrome.
“Leon!” Chris stumbled to the floor as he grabbed his husband, “Leon! Leon!”
He wasn’t moving and appeared to be unconscious. Chris pulled his husband to him and began to gently shake, trying to get Leon to open his eyes. He didn’t know why the infection had returned, but that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind. He desperately needs to get his husband to regain consciousness.
“Come on, come on. Leon, you need to wake up. Come on.” Chris brightened up when he saw Leon slowly opening his eyes, “Hey, hey! Honey, it’s me. It’s Chris.”
“C-Chris?” Leon weakly muttered.
“I’m here, I’m here. You're going to be ok,” Chris held Leon close, letting the other rest his head against his chest, “It’s going to be ok,”
“I… I’m… so…,” Leon weakly lifted his head to look at Chris, “I’m so… sorry,”
“It’s not your fault… Leon?” Chris blinked as Leon went limp in his arms, “Leon? Honey… please… please… please no…”
Chris shakes Leon’s limp body, trying to get the other to wake. No, no, this can’t be happening. He can’t lose him. He can’t lose his husband.
“Leon, wake up. Please wake up,” Chris’ voice trembled. He didn’t want to believe what was in front of him, “Please, Babe… wake up. Leon, please.”
Leon did not stir.
His eyes were vacant.
Lifeless.
“Leon… Leon… LEON!!!”
Leon jolts awake at the sound of his name being screamed at two in the morning from the man who slept next to him.
“The fuck?” Leon flicks the lamp on and turns to his sleeping husband. He finds Chris still sleeping but clearly having a nightmare. Sitting up, Leon shakes Chris, “Chris, wake up. Come on, wake up.”
“No!”
Chris jolts up with his breathing heavy and unshed tears in his eyes. He looks around wildly until his eyes fall on his husband.
“Leon?” Chris reaches a shaking hand and touches it to the other’s face.
Leon touches his hand to help soothe and stabilize his shaking husband. He had a feeling what nightmare the other had been experiencing.
“I’m ok,” Leon says in a hushed tone, “I’m ok. I’m cured. It’s not coming back.”
“Y-you… you sure?” Chris’ voice trembles, “You’re warm,”
“Yes, I’m sure. The doctor even said I’m clear,” Leon hums, “Honey, I’ve been dealing with an illness lately. Remember, I caught a cold a couple of days ago.”
“Oh… right,” Chris breathed a sigh of relief, body relaxing, “Sorry for waking you,”
“It’s ok, Love,” Leon hums, “Lay back down. We don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to, but let’s lie down.”
Leon lies down with Chris, following soon after. Neither said anything; they didn’t need to. Leon yawns as he nuzzles himself into his husband’s chest, feeling strong arms wrap around him and pulling him close.
“It’s ok,” Leon yawns, “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Hush now,” Chris yawns, “Try to get some sleep.”
“Think someone else can use some sleep, too,” Leon hums, eyes dropping.
The two stayed there in silence until both had slowly fallen back into sleep.