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Leon sets the final spray on his hair, treading his fingers through his front bang to curve slightly outward as it settles with the rest of his styled hair, and hums in satisfaction. His ring glistens in the mirror from the light of the bathroom.
“You’re taking an awful amount of time in there,” Chris knocks on the door. Leon sighs, waiting for the same typical phrase the man will say about his routine. “Does your hair routine really need to be this sacred?” And there it is.
“Yes, actually. Last time I let you in, you messed it all up and we arrived so late to our date that it barely counted as brunch, even.” Leon replies, opening the door. He looks up at Chris, who still has his bed ridden hair and unshaven beard, grown just far too long. He rubs a hand over Chris’s beard, the soft texture still managing to surprise him still.
Chris grabs his hand, redirecting it towards his own mouth to leave a kiss. Both their rings are visible, and though Leon smiles at him, he feels an odd feeling inside on what they mean.
See, Leon was proposed by Chris years ago, under the idea that these were promise rings. It’s a bit ridiculous, in his personal opinion, that Chris didn’t just marry him right off. Sure, they had a complicated relationship over the years, before finally sticking together and then advancing their relationship further, but Leon had an impression that they would be well-along in marriage six months into their confirmed love. It’s ironic that he has the lovesickness to imagine themselves with a picket-fence and domesticity after their talks to each other and Leon’s pessimism showing through at his worst moments, but he’s worse than Chris at having these American daydreams.
There’s a phrase engraved within their rings, love is as strong as death, something Chris thought out after his experiences in Romania with the loss of Ethan Winters and the looming threats of bioterrorism within the B.S.A.A., only further solidified with Leon’s final journey through Raccoon City for the sake of the others and himself. Rosemary, when it’s their months of custody as agreed by Mia, likes to play with the both of their rings, asking when can she be the flower girl at their wedding.
“Chris, are we married?”
Chris pauses his kisses, briefly loosening his grasp on Leon’s hand. He tightens it again, smiling.
“Obviously?”
What. “What?”
“You must be in quite the joking mood. Come on, Kennedy, let me wash and shave so we can eat breakfast out. Claire’s wondering if we can stop by her place for a barbecue tonight. Wanna go?”
What. “Uhh.” Leon’s gears turn inside his head, more focused on the marriage revelation rather than the idea of any food now. He can’t even quite remember he was hungry. When did they marry? How did they marry? Leon signed no certification, no changes in his legal documentation, he doesn’t even have his last name changed or hyphenated to include Redfield.
They’ve moved in together. They’re official caretakers for Rosemary Winters, and go together to visit Mia Winters, and they always go on dates and sleep on the same bed, and grocery shop together and attend doctors appointments and go shopping and go...everywhere. Together, they’re always together but since when were they married? Leon would have definitely remembered walking down the isle.
“Sure, we can go,” Leon mumbles, moving out of Chris’s way. The man gives him an odd look, but he waves him off and motions to his phone. “I’ll call Claire and confirm.”
“Hmm, okay baby.” Chris leans down to give Leon a kiss, biting his bottom lip. Leon pulls away with a blush.
“Okay.” He watches Chris close the bathroom door, and Leon quickly turns away to call Claire. He heads downstairs, taking a seat next to the island kitchen. There’s several photographs framed of their friends and family. Mia and Rosemary at a botanical garden in the UK, Leon and Chris at an outdoor theater viewing, an old photograph of the S.T.A.R.S. team, Hunnigan and Helena out with Leon for drinks, Piers Nivans with Chris. There’s a lot more, the latest being Grace and Emily, all surrounding a central bouquet that they like to replace every two weeks once the previous flowers start to die out. A way to honor everyone they care for, living or dead.
Claire quickly picks up the phone. “Leooon, did you guys get my invitation?”
“Yeah, we’ll be there tonight. I actually have a weird question.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Do you think Chris and I are married?”
Claire’s quiet for a moment, and then snorts loudly. “Uhhh—Yeah? Chris told me the whole plan on proposing to you, you guys wear your rings? He says you guys just haven’t gotten around a whole ceremony or anything yet a while back because of the whole sickness and all. Why?”
Leon pinches the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming. How can he be proposed without knowing he was proposed to or married? This has got to be some ridiculous long prank on him, and it’s rather cruel. “Just wondering. I don’t remember being proposed or married.”
“Real funny. Are you having..memory issues?” Claire sounds worried, and Leon remembers the whole situation in China and Chris’s memories, and he quickly tries to ease her.
“No, no no! I’m not. I clearly remember Chris proposing a promise ring, Claire. I do not remember him asking for marriage. At all.”
“Okay..” Claire drags out the word. “Well, since you’re coming over tonight, we might as well discuss it. You sound pretty sure about this, and I do doubt you’re suffering from amnesia.”
“Okay, well, for your information, it’s not like I don’t want to be married, I very much do, a lot, which is why I’m confused as to why we’re already married when I clearly remember he did not propose that day.”
“Ha ha, I’m sure you do Leon. I can never forget your yearning looks at him ever since I introduced you two.”
He hears Chris’s footsteps come downstairs. “Yeah, tease me later. I’ll let you know when we’re headed over later today. Bye, Claire.”
“Bye Leon. Tell Chris I said hi, too. He needs to call me more instead of texting. He always sounds too serious!”
“I will.” He ends the call, looking towards the stairs and watches Chris come on, wearing another turtleneck. It’s one of the ones Leon bought, a nice pink cashmere.
Chris leads himself around Leon, wrapping his arms around him to kiss his neck. “Ready to go out?”
Leon sighs. “Yeah. Hey, Chris, I have a question.”
Chris raises a brow. “What’s up?”
Leon internally screams. Maybe he is hallucinating his memories and that entire night. His ears were ringing the entire time when he saw the ring on Chris’s hand, how he spoke the words carved within it like a vow, placing it on his left hand right before it started scarring and bruising black.
“Did you ever want to share last names? You know, Redfield-Kennedy, Kennedy-Redfield..”
Chris’s face turns slightly red, and he scratches the back of his hair that’s still slightly wet. “I..didn’t want to bring it up, didn’t want to pressure you or anything about it. I think it would be nice.. Redfield-Kennedy has a good ring to it, why do you ask now?”
Leon shrugs. “I’m just wondering. I think it would be nice, having that last name.”
He studies Chris’s reaction, seeing his eyes widen just slightly as he tries to control his expression of surprise and glee into a more neutral smile. Leon smiles at him, knowingly, less frustrated about the whole not-knowing promise ring issue.
“Really? Well, when we have the time, you and I can go down to a courthouse and settle everything.”
Leon stands, initially removing himself from Chris’s arms only to completely hug him. “That sounds great. You really want to..legally marry me?”
“Of course. I was hesitant to ask at first, I thought you weren’t interested in being tied down because of the D.S.O. and how our jobs make things difficult but..I really want us to have some normalcy. Some normal life where we’re husbands and we share everything we have with each other. I want everything with you, Leon.”
It sounds like the words he said back then, too. Leon will figure it out tonight, he’s sure. If anything, maybe he’s the one with the old man memory now.
-+-+-
Leon does not have memory issues. Claire is leaning against his shoulder, cackling her ass off while Jill eggs on Leon and Chris. They’re all sitting outside, Jill taking a break from the grill to antagonize them, and Claire is clearly having the time in her life to the point she only finished two ribs despite saving half a rack for herself.
“There’s no way you actually went with Plan B, Chris! Were you that intimated by being on your knees you tried faking a promise ring proposal and forgot that you said your vows for marriage at the moment?!” Jill elbows Chris, who sheepishly looks between Leon and his sister.
Leon’s eyebrow twitches in irritation, and he clenches his jaw. He stabs his coleslaw with a fork. “Such faith in me to say yes, wow I do like being friendzoned. I can’t believe you thought you actually proposed.”
“It was in the heat of the moment! You just looked so.. gorgeous and intimidating, I panicked and said it was a promise ring! I thought if you didn’t feel so pressured into that I could have mentioned the marriage idea for later but, you said yes and I practically said the engagement vows I practiced so I kind of thought..it counted?” Chris dodges another elbow from Jill. He stands up from his seat, shuffling around the table to try to get away. Jill picks up her spatula, jogging around to try to swab at him.
“Poor Leon, thinking he’s still a boyfriend this whole time while his actual fiance gets husband privileges. If you beat him up right now, I’m sure Claire wouldn’t jump in.” Jill eventually stops chasing Chris and pulls Claire away from Leon, and she’s trying to catch her breath. But every time she looks back up at her brother and Leon, she loses it again.
“It’s not that funny, Claire.” Chris sighs. He settles behind Leon, trying to shield himself from both their judgement, but Leon looks directly up at him with a pout.
“It kind of is,” Leon disagrees.
Chris looks down at him, exasperated. “How is this funny for you?”
“I was worried you never wanted to marry me, and it turns out you thought we were the whole time. I think it’s cute. But..I would want a redo on the proposal.” Leon takes off his wedding ring, and hands it to Chris.
Chris stares at it for a moment, and then takes off his own. He then goes down on one knee, and holds Leon’s up.
"Leon, will you do me the honors of being my husband?'
Leon holds his left hand down, blushing at the words despite already anticipating them. "Yes. Now put the damn ring on, you old man."
Chris kisses his ring finger, before sliding the silver ring back on. He then hands over his own to Leon, who places it on Chris's ring finger as well.
"You owe me a damn good wedding, Redfield-Kennedy,” Leon threatens him. “You didn’t even say your vows again. Should I even count this?”
“Please do. I’ll say whatever vows you want to hear out of the ears of these two , right in our bedroom. I’m sure you’ll forgive me there.”
Claire gags, finally setting to eat the rest of her ribs. “TMI. I already know enough about your lives because of the missions we’ve been on. I don’t want to imagine how many times your bones crack nowadays doing it too.”
Jill laughs. “As if ours don’t. We’re reaching the point that maybe you’ll start sharing my blood around to cure your arthritis.”
Leon shakes his head. “Absolutely not. I’ve had my fair share of foreign bodies inside me, thank you. I’ll consider it when I can’t do a backflip anymore.”
He pets the chair next to him, urging Chris to sit back down. Chris obeys, a little quiet now that the fuss is mostly over, looking down at his ring.
”Chris, you okay?” Leon asks, reaching a hand to rest on Chris’s shoulder.
Chris nods, looking up at him. His face is still red, and eyes a bit watery. “I’m great. I’m just..really happy that we’re going to be having a whole wedding, and be a whole family.”
Leon’s well aware about Chris having the dreams of normalcy. At one point he remembered Chris being the center of jokes about having a normal wife and kids as retirement, wanting to continue his life far from the field and spread down his family heritage. It’s silly, looking back on how Leon did antagonize him at first about it during their rough patch, and Chris somehow managed to keep his cool even when Leon would scald him about it all in a drunken state. Looking back, it must have been obvious that Leon really took it all at value that Chris didn’t initially want him at all and was settling, but look at them both now, huh?
”Yeah. A whole family.” Leon wraps his arm completely around the bigger man, leaving kisses on the crown of his hair.
”I can’t wait for you to really call me your husband, Chris. Save your tears for when I was down that church in a dress, okay?”
Chris sputters. “A dress?!”
“Oh yes. A Vivienne Westwood.” Jill suggests.
Claire sighs. “Maybe save the wedding plans for later. Just thinking about it has me stressed. We have to invite so many people, and then have all the schedules line up, and then hope some crazy corporate executives don’t discover bioterrorism.”
Chris nods, taking out his phone. “You’re not wrong, but I have been planning behind your backs about the whole wedding thing. I have spreadsheets and ideas on how we can do it. I’m sure the hardest thing is just scheduling a venue and catering.”
Leon huffs, smiling to himself. “You all really have everything ready for my own wedding, huh. Makes me wonder how much you all talked about my own marriage behind my back.”
He feels Chris tug at him, tilting his head upward for a kiss. “The best for you, baby. I need to makeup now for my botched proposal.”
“Mhm. That you do.”
A comfortable silence settles as they all continue eating their food. Leon finishes his own ribs, looking at Jill, and finally gathers the courage to ask:
”Hey, can you send me a picture of the Vivienne Westwood dress you have in mind?”
Claire gathers their dishes to wash them, giving Leon a knowing smirk. Jill grins herself, and Chris flushes, covering his face with a groan.
Jill looks at Leon, and then at Chris. ”I have several. I’ll send them over right now. Your husband will thank me later.”