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The absolute worst part of being a cop, albeit only for 2 weeks so far, was the paperwork. Leon S. Kennedy was top of his class in the academy, but here he was, filling out reports. Leon wanted to go out and help people, serve his community! But instead he was sitting in the same chair he had been in for the last 3 hours. His body needed to move, he needed to get his blood flowing.
Perhaps, a quick visit to the S.T.A.R.S. office would give him a good stretch. Maybe Chris might even be there. Not that he was specifically looking for him, that would be weird. He’d be just as happy to see… Jill! Or Brad!
But if Chirs was there, Leon could ask him about… uh… Well, he’d think of something by the time he got up there. Plus, he had paperwork to give to Wesker or whatever. Leon turned to Lieutenant Branagh,
“If it’s alright with you, sir, I’m going to deliver these files to the S.T.A.R.S. office,”
“Yeah, go for it, kid, you deserve a break,” Marvin gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. Was Leon that obvious?
Walking through the spade door and up the stairs to his left, the RPD was bustling. Leon had to wait for two guys carrying 2x4’s out the door to get into the library. Marvin said the Chief was always doing renovations and Leon wondered if that was a good use of taxpayer dollars. Maybe that’s what he’d ask Chris about.
Conversation topic: Secured
As he passed through the Unicorn room, it really clicked how strange of a station the Racoon City Police Department was. The statues were nice but a little out of place, and the halls sort of felt like a labyrinth. Finally, there Leon stood. The door to the S.T.A.R.S. office.
Take a deep breath, Kennedy, it’s just delivering papers to some coworkers.
As his hand grasped the doorknob, it suddenly opened.
“Jill! Hi, sorry, I’ll get out of your way,” Jill was surprised but gave Leon a smile.
“Chris is at his desk. Good to see you, Rookie.” Leon stepped aside to let her out. Disregarding that first sentence, he decided to speak to Wesker first, it might make it less weird that he was here in the first place. Leon turned the corner only to see Wesker’s desk empty.
“He’s on lunch,” a voice said from the other side of the room. “Won’t be back for another 30ish minutes.”
Leon looked at Chris, I mean, he really looked at him. And, wow, he was gorgeous. He wore a fitted black shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on the chest and a pair of sage green cargo pants that Leon knew hugged his butt just right. And, oh brother, that smile.
Fuck, say something, anything!
“Nice pants.”
Fucking brilliant, Kennedy. Nice going.
“Hey, thanks!” Chris beamed, “Ya know, I just got these and they were half off, I was so stoked!” Leave it to Chris to ease Leon’s awkward stiffness. Leon smiled, he guessed he should get to the point,
“I have some paperwork for you- ah, for Wesker, actually.” He held out the folder.
“Cool, I’ll give it to him when he gets back.” Chris took the folder and plopped it on his desk.
…
A moment passed, awkwardly. Then at the same time,
“So, I-“
“Well, I guess-“
“Sorry, sorry, you go first,” Chris insisted,
“No, it’s fine, what we’re you gonna say?” Leon asked,
Chris shyly looked down for a moment. What on earth did Chris Redfield have to be shy about, he thought.
“... I’ll feel better about what I’m gonna ask if you say what you were gonna say first.” He shrugged. Leon tried to think of what his question could possibly be about. How he had liked the job so far? What he’d made for lunch?
“Uh, okay. I mean, I was just gonna say… Y’know, construction on the attic has been going on for a while, right?”
“Yeah, right? It’s like, what are they even doing up there?” Chris huffed a stilted laugh, “I feel like there are better uses for the renovation budget, like with you joining the force the locker rooms will be pretty cramped. Maybe we should expand that before we spend it all on cosmetic applications.”
“Yeah, I was just thinking, like, who even goes in the attic, why do tax dollars need to be spent to make it pretty?”
“Exactly!” Chris beamed, “I don’t know what the hell Irons is thinking, man.” Leon matched his smile. He caught the light reflecting in Chris’s eyes that made his stomach swoop, and, oh fuck, Leon was down bad.
“Um…” Chris started again, “Can I ask you something? And you can say no, that’s alright, I don’t want to force anything.” Leon hesitated, confused.
“Yeah, I guess, sure.” Why am I so nervous? He’s not gonna, like, ask me out or anything. Just chill, Leon, it’s all cool.
“Do you wanna… Go out with me? Sometime?” Chris was beet red.
“What, like on a date?” Ball, fumbled.
Chris’s face dropped,
“N- Nevermind, that was stupid. Forget I said anything, it’s cool. Good to see you, Leon.” And Chris rushed past Leon towards the door.
FUCK YOU, KENNEDY, YOU IDIOT. DO SOMETHING!!!
“Wait!” Leon reached out and grabbed Chris’s wrist. Startled, Chis looked back. “I do! I want to go out with you! Uh, it would be nice… to do something together.” Nice save, very natural.
“Really?” Chris grinned, and oh, how he looked like a happy puppy. And there was that sparkle in his eyes, it made Leon’s heart thump in his chest.
“Yeah, if that’s okay,”
“Yes! Yeah! Okay, um, when are you free?” he asked, hope in his heart.
“Tomorrow and Sunday, I think, does that work?”
“Yeah, that works great! I’ll pick you up tomorrow at… how about 5?”
“5 sounds great,” It was Leon’s turn to beam, happy as a cat in the sun. “Um, I’m sorry, but I have to get back downstairs, I’ve got so many files to fill out and then organize, but I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow, see ya then, Leon!” Chris shot him a wink as he waved, Leon may have hit the door frame on his way out.
~~~
All day, Leon was thinking about his date. He sighed as he cooked breakfast, he hummed while he did laundry, he daydreamed while he was supposed to be reading.
A date with Chris Redfield! Tonight!!
To say he burnt breakfast, forgot to put the laundry soap in with his clothes, and maybe drooled a little on the pages of his library book, might be an understatement.
But just 2 more hours until I see Chris!
~~~
2 hours is dreadful when you’re this excited about something, but they pass nonetheless, and at exactly 5 o’clock, Leon hears a knock on his apartment door.
He hopped up off the couch excitedly, he’d put on his favorite blue knit sweater and black jeans (a bit baggy on him, but he liked baggy better than skinny jeans.)
One last hair check in the mirror by the door, and he opened it, promptly greeted by a bouquet of roses and daisies.
“Oh! These are lovely, Chris!” He took the bouquet, behind them a handsome man, one who would take him on his first date, one that was blushing wildly.
“Wow, Lee, you look… god, really handsome.” Leon blushed, but chuckled at the nickname,
“Lee? Already onto nicknames, are we, Christopher?”
“It’s actually Christian.”
“Oh, Christian… That suits you better than Christopher, I think.”
Chris looked infatuated. By what, Leon wasn’t sure. He gave Chris a “wait here” sign and rushed back into the apartment. Quickly, he snatched a vase from the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard and filled it with water. Leon put it on the coffee table and placed the flowers gently in.
“There we go. Now they won’t wilt while we’re out.”
“You’re a smart cookie, Kennedy.”
“It’s how I got my job,” Leon smirked, “Otherwise I’d just be some dumb jock, no offense.”
“Dumb jock? You must be thinking of someone else, my brain is bigger than an elephant’s,” Leon resisted the urge to say “must be while your forehead’s so big.”
“Are you gonna take me out or not, genius?” Leon stepped out the front door and locked it behind him.
“I was thinkin’ a movie? Unless you’d rather do something else?”
“No, a movie sounds like fun!”
As they walked down to the parking garage, Leon couldn’t help but stare… at Chris’s butt. He was wearing those cargo pants again, but this time with a plain black tee and a leather jacket, one he had seen a few times hung up in the S.T.A.R.S. office. The back had an angel holding a bomb on it, and he wondered if there was a story behind it.
Maybe he could ask later.
~~~
The drive had been a bit awkward. Leon didn’t really know what to do with his hands as he sat in the passenger seat, so he played with the hem of his sweater. Chris had looked nervous as hell. Almost like showing up on his doorstep with flowers was the easy part. Eventually, he was asked if he wanted to listen to music and instead of telling the truth (It would make the drive so much less awkward) Leon had said, “No, that’s alright.” Like a dumbass.
Not that he didn’t like Chris or his company, but because it was just so quiet.
But as they arrived, Chris broke his silence,
“Is it okay to tell you I’m nervous?”
“Is it okay to say I’m nervous, too?”
“Couple o’ cards, us two, huh?
“What do you say, we watch a movie?” Leon offered,
“Fantastic idea, wait here.” Chris jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked, ran around the front and opened the door for Leon.
“Oh, thank you,” Chris offered his hand and when Leon took it, Chris grasped him back, moving the position from offering help, to full blown handholding.
Once he stood, he expected his hand to be dropped, but it wasn’t. Leon looked at their hands clasped together and could hear the sparkle sound effects in his ears.
Chris began to walk towards the cinema, with Leon in hand.
“What do you want to see?” he asked, and Leon realized he hadn’t thought at all about what would be playing.
“Whatever you want, I guess. I don’t usually see a lot of movies. Whatever you choose, I’m happy with.”
“I was thinking Twister. It’s about tornado chasers, it looks pretty cool. Whadda ya think?” Leon nodded. Passively, he thought movie dates were supposed to be romantic movies, but this was Chris Redfield he was out with. So, yeah, Twister sounded great.
As they approached the concession stand, Leon let go of Chris’s hand. Not because he wanted to, he hated leaving the warmth he had gotten used to, but because the woman running the stand had glared at Leon.
He hated casual homophobia. It was 1996 for god’s sake! People should know better! But when they reached the stand it became apparent the glare was for another reason,
“Chris, hey! Back for another viewing of Romeo and Juliet?” The woman bent over the counter and played with the stands for her long ponytail. She practically had heart eyes.
“What? Haha, no, I’ve never seen that one, is it even out yet, that’s weird that you would even bring that up, I don’t even like Shakespeare, who even is that?” The words just kept falling out of his mouth, until they suddenly stopped. The woman, whose name tag said Mary, just smiled at him.
“You like Shakespeare? I guess you might have a big brain after all, huh?” Leon teased, mostly to show Mary that they were here together. She looked at Leon like he was in the way.
“Fine, you caught me. I’m a bit of a nerd, sue me. But no, I’m not here to see Romeo and Juliet a second time,”
“Fifth,” Mary interrupted. Chris gave her a stern look, but that just seemed to make her happier. He continued,
“Just tell me you’re still playing Twister reruns?”
“Unfortunately, yes. That movie is loud as hell, but sure. Just don’t come crying to me when your pretty ears are bleeding.” She ripped off a ticket stub and handed it to Chris.
“Um,” Leon started, but Chris put his hand on the counter,
“Mary,” he said sternly, “I know you can see I’m on a date, and I know that because you’ve been glaring at him since we came in.” Mary pouted. What is she, a child?
“Maybe it’s because his outfit is fugly.”
“Just gimme the ticket, Mary, or I’m gonna have to talk to your parents again.”
Now it all makes sense. She actually is a child. Another employee came up beside the girl, taking over the register.
“Hey y’all! Lemme grab you that ticket and bucket of complimentary popcorn, on the house! That’ll be just $8.44 for the tickets.” Chris brought out his wallet while the employee scooped the popcorn, but he was quietly reprimanding Mary, “This is the last time, Mary, you and I are gonna have a conversation in my office after this.” Mary only groaned.
Taking the popcorn and the second ticket, Chris dropped a ten on the counter and said a quick “keep the change” before taking Leon’s hand and walking them both to the hall of theatres.
Leon didn’t know how to react.
“I guess you’re pretty popular. I’m guessing this isn’t the first time?” Chris stopped walking as soon as they were far enough away, and he sighed, almost defeated.
“Yeah, she’s… she just doesn't know when to quit, even when everybody else is telling her to quit.”
“Did you really have to talk to her parents?”
“Yeah, after she showed up at the police station lookin’ for me,” he shivered at the memory, “She tackled Branagh to the floor trying to get up the stairs. She’s a good kid, just… a little obsessive.”
“Jesus,” was all Leon could say.
“Can I just… for a minute,” he stepped closer to Leon. After a moment of puppy dog eyes, Leon nodded, not knowing what Chris was going to do. Then Chris’s head gently fell onto his shoulder. Chris took a few deep breaths, still holding Leon’s hand. “How do people want kids, man? It’s not my fault this theatre has the best prices.”
Leon smiled something small, and put his free hand on the back of his date’s neck, ruffling his hair a bit. The brilliant Chris Redfield, exhausted after a single interaction with a persistent teen.
“Let’s go sit down, hot shot, before you get mobbed by more women,” Leon attempted to joke but he wasn’t sure if it landed, until Chris chuckled and raised his head.
“Even if they did, I’d still go home with you.”
Oh, Leon’s heart couldn’t handle this.
Chris’s eyes went wide,
“Not that I’m implying anything! The date is over when you say it’s over!” and it was Leon’s turn to chuckle.
“Well, it’s not over yet, we still have a whole movie to watch,” Chris looked relieved that Leon didn't comment on his accidental innuendo. So, they walked hand in hand, into theatre 3, where the previews were playing before Twister.
~~~
Leon thought the movie was pretty good, but his favorite part was holding Chris’s hand the entire time. Chris liked the movie too, but Leon could tell he had something on his mind. He figured it might have something to do with the date being potentially over, but Leon could fix that.
“Want some ice cream?” Chris looked at Leon with surprise, and then relief.
“That sounds great,” He was beaming like a puppy again. Leon thought he could get used to that look, maybe he even liked being the cause of that look.
They swung their hands as they walked to the car, and Chris opened the door for him, once again.
This time around, the drive felt very natural. They talked about their favorite ice cream flavors, and that led to their favorite foods, and that led to finding out Chris is a pretty good cook, according to himself.
~~~
“Going with something new?” Chris asked over Leon’s shoulder. He was looking at the huge tubs of ice cream, specifically, the one labeled Banana Nut Bread.
“I dunno, how do you even make bread ice cream?”
“Well, the tub’s completely untouched and they close in an hour, so I’m gonna say it’s probably not great. I’m gonna stick with a classic, cookies and cream,” he said with a flourish.
“I feel like it's calling to me, Chris. Like the sirens call the sailors.”
“Well, they called them so they could drown them. So, fill your ears with wax, I’m not losing you to nut bread tonight.”
“Is that… an Odyssey reference? Wow, you really are a secret nerd!” Chris rolled his eyes playfully,
“It’s not a secret, Jill knows.”
“Just Jill?
“And my sister, Claire,”
“I thought you might have a sibling, you radiate big brother energy.”
“Not to you, I hope,” Leon laughed at that,
“God, no, I just mean that you’re… protective and caring… and strong. You could’ve yelled at that girl in the cinema and it would’ve been justified, but you spoke to her parents about her behavior and turned her down sternly, but kindly. You didn’t try to make fun of her or make her feel bad. I know a lot of people who would’ve laughed at her or… I dunno, just made her feel awful for being in what she thought was love.”
Chris looked softly at Leon,
“You’ve got a real talent for empathy, Rookie.”
“Or maybe Elliot and David are right and I see the world through rose colored lenses…”
“Maybe we need a little more of that. Kindness and optimism.” Leon blushed and pushed Chris’s shoulder lightly,
“Just order your fucking ice cream, Redfield.”
~~~
Chris walked Leon back up to his apartment, the whole time thinking Chris was right about the banana nut bread ice cream because it was not sitting well in his stomach. When they reached the door, he unlocked it, opened it, and then turned back to Chris.
“Thanks for taking me out, I had a lot of fun.” He smiled brightly at Chris, who looked a little sad to be going.
“Me too. Um, how ‘bout next weekend, you come over to my place and I’ll make you something special for dinner?”
Leon couldn't help it, he just needed to,
He glanced at the other’s lips and leaned forward, but hesitated, a question for Chris to answer.
Chris leaned in, locking their lips together, reaching out to grasp Leon’s hips. Leon responded by wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.
The heat spread softly throughout his whole body and something burned hot between his ribs. Leon wanted to stay- needed to stay in this moment of closeness, but breathing was a requirement for living till the next date.
They pulled away, just enough, staying in each other's arms, breathing each other's air.
“Is that a yes?” Chris chuckled.
“Of course it’s a yes. I just had to reward you for being a gentleman all night, that's all.” Leon couldn’t stop smiling, even as he trailed his hands down Chris’s arms, holding his biceps. (Leon thought bubble side note: HOLY SHIT HIS ARMS ARE HUGE!)
“That’s all?” Chris smirked,
“Until next weekend, that is. Then maybe you can earn some more,” Leon was a little proud of himself for that line, but Chris definitely enjoyed it more.
“Flirty, Kennedy, I like it.” Chris leaned in again, and, fuck, Leon couldn’t deny him one last kiss.
A tender kiss, but no less passionate. Until Leon felt something ignite in his chest as Chris slid his wide hands from his hips to his lower back, up under his sweater, and directly on his skin. It felt like fire and Leon had to pull away,
“Sorry, I just… ‘s my first kiss,” Chris’s eyes went wide for half a second, before he grinned like a cheshire cat,
“Second, actually. Your first was like 40 seconds ago.”
“Maybe I need a third, just to say goodnight…”
Chris brought their lips together for a third time, but only briefly, pulling away after a moment.
“Night, Lee.”
“Goodnight, Christian.”
Chris stepped away and turned to go down the hall, but before Leon could fully close his door behind himself, he heard shouting around the corner,
“WOO! I GOT KISSED, BABY! LET’S GO!”