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“ What?!”

Leon’s voice was laced with anger and shock as he stared at Hunnigan over the desk. His hands gripped the edges so hard that his knuckles turned white, and he swore he could almost feel his blood running cold the second the words left her mouth.

Hunnigan furrowed her brows and gave him a genuinely sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Leon, but there’s nothing I can do. Unless you can find a way to postpone the mission-“

“ That’s not what I’m worried about,” Leon’s voice dripped with malice. His anger wasn’t directed at Hunnigan, far from it, in fact.

“Luis can’t go back to Valdelobos!!”

Hunnigan had revealed just moments earlier that Leon’s next ‘trip’ would be a return mission to Valdelobos; to collect any leftover artifacts that Saddler may have left behind for archeological research.

Luis was used to return missions. He did them all the time- Expected them, even. Almost every report was followed up with a request to return to whatever scarred and blown-up building and/or piece of land Leon had just narrowly survived dying in. It was standard and routine, and even though he hated it, he was used to it.

But Luis wasn’t. 

Luis only ever talked about Valdelobos if it was a direct response to his trauma. He’d shut his eyes and grip his hands together like he was forcing himself not to cry every time he thought about it. Sometimes Leon still overhears him sobbing into his pillow at night occasionally.

He’s gotten better, yes. Much better with therapy and a regular job working with Rebecca in the Governments Labs, and tagging along with Leon whenever he went on missions (Presidents orders, of coarse, as compensation for his crimes, much to Luis’ dismay).

But standing there in front of Hunnigan, having just had the news broken to him like ice;

Leon had a deep, guttural feeling that this mission would set Luis’ fragile mental state far, far back.

It’d taken Leon so long to help Luis get back to his usual self after he’d saved him from the (literal) knife in the back from Krauser- helping him with his newfound disabilities and PTSD- He Just didn't want to see Luis suffer anymore than he already had.

And returning back to the root of his traumas seemed like the worst thing possible for him. 

Hunnigan shook her head,

“Look, I’m sorry, I really am. I don’t want Luis to go back, either. But I’m not the one in charge of that decision-“

“What about his mental state?”

Luis hauled himself off of Hunnigans desk and crossed his arms, his voice coming out a little more desperate than he would’ve liked.

“The DSO can’t just send mentally vulnerable people into the field like that! There’s gotta be some kind of humanitarian law on it or something!!”

“They’ve already run tests and confirmed with his therapists that- according to them- Luis is well enough to go back to Valdelobos. Now,”

Hunnigan put her hands up to stop Leon from speaking again,

“I don’t agree with them in the slightest. But the only way I could think of to get Luis off the mission would be to talk to Miss Chambers. Otherwise, I can’t help you”

“It’s alright,” Leon sighed, defeated. His shoulders slumped over.

“Just… can you please make sure nobody tells Luis before I do? I’d rather I be the one to break the news to him. I think it’d be easier that way”

“I’ll do my best. Take care of yourself, Leon”

He smiled.

“You too, Ingrid”

——-

Leon hadn’t even had time to grab the handles of the heavy steel doors to the Government’s private Lab before Rebecca swung it open herself from the other side. Almost knocking Leon backwards as she folded her arms and rested her weight on the doorway uncomfortably.

Leon felt his heart sink like lead to his feet the second he saw Rebecca’s expression. He prayed he wasn’t too late as he opened his mouth, dry and terrified of what she would respond with.

“Where’s Luis-“

“He’s inside,” Rebecca half-whispered, her voice short and curt. Her tone was enough to tell Leon all he needed to know.

“I think you really need to talk him out of-“

“Did they tell you already?” Leon asked, but he already knew.

Rebecca just nodded.

“Some assholes in suits came round and told him he was due for a mission back to Valdelobos tomorrow, said nothing else, and left. Not even a single fucking warning, or at least a call .”

Leon felt like punching something.

The rage that clawed at his chest and threatened to tear it open almost scared him- He knew exactly what it was like to be in Luis’ shoes. The amount of times he’d come home from missions, vulnerable and traumatized, only to be barked at by mysterious men in suits that he had to go straight back in without even the offer of comfort or therapy was beyond awful. He had told everyone he could not to tell Luis, to let him do it himself- But of course they didn’t fucking listen.

At least Rebecca looked equally as pissed as he was, if not even more, as she continued to speak.

“Luis has been an absolute wreck all evening. I’ve tried everything to get him to not go, but he just won’t fucking listen. He keeps insisting that he’ll be fine, no matter how much I tell him-“

“Wait, he wants to go?”

He hadn’t meant to cut Rebecca off, but shock replaced any semblance of anger Leon once had and he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Luis… wanted to go back to Valdelobos.

Rebecca huffed a frustrated sigh and opened her arms to invite Leon inside,

“Yep. After those guys told him about the mission he was just… dead silent for a few minutes. But the second I bought up getting a second therapist to help get him out of it, he practically blew up at me and told me he was perfectly fine to go”

Leon could feel his gut curling in on itself like a sharp claw as he stepped inside the Lab. Usually, Luis would have already been at the door, practically leaping at him in embrace- not too unsimilar to a little kid being picked up from school- but all Leon could feel as he entered this time was his own cold anxiety gripping at his chest and weighing each step he took down like lead.

And that anxiety only got worse when they rounded the corner and found Luis; who was already shoving the very few belongings he owned into a duffel bag with a furious haste. He was grumbling to himself in Spanish- so fast Leon couldn’t understand him- and his hair was tousled so wildly that it was impossible to make out his expression. But judging by his hunched posture, it probably wasn’t a happy one.

Leon hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating; and the tension between all three of them was palpable at best. When Leon finally decided to speak, his voice came out overly gentle and cautious.

“…Love?”

Luis instinctively popped his head up and gave Leon a smile. A clearly forced smile. One that was accompanied by dry eyes and furrowed brows, only exasperated by the look of exhaustion present in his eyes. It made Leon feel sick to his stomach with worry in a way he couldn’t even begin to describe; Luis wasn’t ok.

“Sancho! Good timing, you ready to go?”

“But it’s not until tomor-“

“You’re not going!” Rebecca exclaimed, like she’d had this exact same conversation a million times. She sounded tired. They both did.

“You’re clearly showing signs of PTSD and there’s no way in my right mind I can let you just-“

“I said I’m fine, Rebecca ,” Luis’ tone was so flat and stern that it was near impossible to read the emotion behind it; it made Leon’s anxiety spike.

It was so uncharacteristic. So unlike Luis; who was usually so overly considerate for others and went above and beyond to never start an argument. He was a gentleman; and always put others before himself, almost to a fault.

So this? This scared Leon.

Especially when his expression switched at a dime back to that forced smile when he looked back at Leon,

“Besides, Leon over here agrees. I’m fine to go with you, sí?”

“I….”

Leon could feel his throat tighten as he looked between Rebecca and Luis anxiously. On one hand, he didn’t want to upset Luis further than he already was, or hell, risk starting an argument- But there was no way in his right mind he could agree with him, either. Especially with the way Rebecca was staring daggers at him and shaking her head like she’d murder him if he said yes. 

She probably would, actually. And she probably would have every right to.

“…Luis, I don’t-“

“So you agree with me! Ha!” Luis snapped his fingers before promptly whisking his arm under Leon’s before he could even get the words out. 

“See, ¿Señorita? There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll come back perfectly fine and you’ll wonder what you were even worrying yourself over in the first place!”

“That was hardly an agreement,” Rebecca grumbled under her breath, refusing to make eye contact with either of them.

“You don’t have to go, you know that, right?” The brunette’s tone changed from exasperated and exhausted as Luis began to attempt feigning innocence and walking away with Leon in tow. 

“Nobodies forcing you. You have nothing to prove to anyone. Nobodies gonna think any less of you if you don’t go, you know that, right?”

Rebecca spoke so softly and with such consideration, Leon almost felt jealous. She said all the words he wished he could say with such ease, and when Luis paused in his tracks, a rush of hope waved through his chest. Maybe Rebecca had gotten through to him.

“You’re doing so well, Luis,” 

Leon finally found the courage to pipe up with the hope that maybe, just maybe Luis would listen to him.

“…I don’t know what’s upset you so much, but you’re already very, very brave. You’re stronger than you know, and-“

“I’ll be fine.”

Luis’ voice was cracked and quiet, and his shoulders shuddered lightly. It almost seemed as if he was crying.

Leon as Rebecca looked between each other with a defeated expression, both thinking the same thing. There wasn’t much they could do; if Luis said he’d be ok, then he’d have to be. They had no other choice.

Luis’ grip on Leon’s hand tightened.

“ …Let’s just go home, Sancho. ”

When Leon heard Luis’ small, broken voice- he felt angry. Defeated and enraged.

How dare the DSO put Luis back where it had all started? How dare they throw him to the wolves without a second thought?! It was bad enough that Leon was chained like a dog, but now that Luis was being thrown around like one, too- it set fire to Leon’s skin like he’d never felt before. 

He wanted to cry, to scream at something on his lover's behalf. 

But he couldn’t. 

All he could do was be there for Luis when he needed him- whenever that might be. Like they always have.

Leon has seen Luis through his worst, and vice versa. When Leon found himself neck-deep in alcohol and depression, Luis was always his light in the darkness to pull him out. When days felt long and all too much to handle, Luis would be there to hold him and rock him back to sleep. 

The least Leon could do for Luis would be to return the favor. He’d wait a million years with open arms for his partner to be ready to talk, whenever that might be.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

——-

Luis didn't say a word when they got home.

He didn’t say anything the entire evening, in fact. Or the next morning. Or the day before their mission. 

He was completely silent; quiet as a shadow whenever he moved around their shared apartment. Which was a rare thing in and of itself. 

From the second Luis got home, he had locked himself in their shared bedroom and curled up beneath a pile of thick blankets, unmoving, despite it being the dead of summer. He only ever got up to eat breakfast or take his medications or brush his teeth. Like he was working on autopilot.

And it scared Leon.

It scared him because he knew what it felt like to fall down that unforgiving pre-mission depressive state.

He knew exactly how it felt to feel so helpless and at the whim of your own trauma, with no comfort to be found besides the silence of your own brain. Leon used to cope with it by drinking himself into a stupor, but he’d long since given up that habit after he returned home with Luis.

And seeing that same cycle repeat itself with the man who he loved more than anything else in the world was hard to watch.

But, even still, Leon gave him space. 

Leon didn't talk to him unless he needed something; and even when he did, he made the effort to make sure his voice was gentle and relaxed. And Luis only ever answered with small little ‘ uh-huh’ s and ‘ gotcha, mí amor’ s.

Even through the airport, Luis didn’t talk. He didn’t say a single word the entire 12 hour flight, and even as they were entering their bulletproof cab and made their way through the thick undergrowth of middle-of-nowhere Spain, Leon hardly heard a single syllable exit Luis’ mouth.

Luis was always talking. He was always flirting with Leon or singing along to a tune or recounting his day or complaining about something very inherently American or even just saying his thoughts aloud; Luis was never quiet. And as much as Leon teased him about it, he never grew tired of his partner's voice. Not in a million years.

So by the time they’d stepped out of the van and shut the doors behind them, Leon was already missing the usual cheery tone of his boyfriend as he tipped the driver heavily and watched the car’s headlights fade into the thick forest behind them. 

He’d always relied on Luis’ witty banter and snappy remarks to ease his nerves; but now, all Leon had were his own thoughts and Luis’ firm grip on his hands as they stared at the all-too familiar gravel pathway set in front of them. Covered by thick, dark trees that blocked out the sunlight ominously. 

“C’mon, love,” Leon murmured to Luis gently after a few moments of silence, who hadn’t moved a muscle. He’d been squeezing onto Leon’s hand so tight it almost hurt, but the blonde didn’t have the heart to tell him as much. 

“We’ll just get in and get out, alright? If we’re quick about it, I reckon we’ll be outta here by the afternoon. Sounds good?”

Leon talked to him almost like a parent reassuring a child, but kept extra caution to not come across as condescending. 

He gently tugged on Luis’ arm at first to encourage a response, and felt a smile creep up on his lips when Luis finally broke away from his trance to nod a ‘yes’ . 

“Lead the way, Don Quixote”

That got a smile out of Luis. A smile!! Leon had to physically reel himself in from looking too visibly excited as he stretched his arms out to let Luis take the first step back into Valdelobos.

——-

The village was a lot more peaceful than Leon remembered it being from when he had rescued Ashley.

As the pair of them walked- Or more accurately, as Luis dragged Leon along by his hand- It became abundantly clear that there truly was no life left in any of the once family-filled walls.

Every house that hasn’t been burnt to a black and charred crisp or collapsed in on itself like a torn-down apartment was covered in large, thick Ivy and kudzu; and not just covered, but absolutely painted like the vines had always been there since the start.

Some houses had even been so overtaken and overgrown that you could hardly even tell they were houses at all; only the orange glow from slow-dying wax candles from inside reflecting off of the dust and web-covered windows were the only indication that there even was a building there in the first place. 

The grass edging on the long-overdue to be maintained gravel road had easily grown to reach their knees, and conveniently hid large pieces of wood or even fences underneath their thicket for Leon to trip over.

Leon was stumbling over his feet and tripping up on himself- silently grateful that there were seemingly no more bear traps to snag him- meanwhile Luis walked around every pitfall and fence like he had an invisible map etched into his mind.

Which, he probably did.

Leon often forgot that this was his childhood village. And looking at it now, it was kind of hard to believe. It was almost ironic how quickly nature had taken over Valdelobos.

Only a year had passed since Leon, Ashley and Luis escaped together, but it already looked like an ancient city with how lush and green everything was. A far, far cry from how dull and lifeless with walls covered in blood Leon remembered it being. With no people to trod on native plants, no livestock to churn up the soil and no fires to set the vines ablaze;

Nature did what nature did best, and took over the village in her loving grasp. It looked healed. And even when they passed the skeletons of dead cows and chickens, Leon didn’t even grimace once at the sight. The bones were pristine white and had small flowers poking out from in between the ribs or skull cracks.

Leon tried to make out Luis’ expression- tried desperately to guess what he might’ve thought of his childhood village being brought back to such an oddly beautiful but profoundly empty state- but his expression remained blank. Almost as lifeless as the skeletons of sheep strewn beneath their feet.

Leon couldn’t even begin to imagine what this must’ve been like for him. What it must’ve been like to return to Valdelobos in the first place all those years ago. 

When Leon had first arrived all the way back in 2004, it was as if the village itself was dead.

Rot covered every surface of wood and the grass itself beneath his feet felt thin and dry. The people moved like zombies- if you didn’t consider them one already- monotonous and slow, and taking care of the farm and the animals that resided were the last of their concerns. And, as such, most of them starved to death.

The valley must’ve been insanely beautiful when Luis was little; when it was maintained and full of life, free from Saddlers control. 

Leon would have given anything to see what Luis’ childhood might’ve looked like. He would give anything in the world to see his partner's childhood self spending hours down fishing with his Grandfather in the lake, without a care in the world, completely unaware of what the future would behold.

And speaking of…

“The lakes nearby”

“Huh?”

Luis’ voice broke Leon out of his trance, his gaze promptly switching from the scenery back to Luis’ unreadable expression.

“How do you know…?

“The worms,” Luis pointed out, tone flat. And on cue, Leon looked down to see them as they walked; the occasional wriggle of worms through the soil, breaking it up as they moved forward in the same direction.

“My Abuelo always used to tell me when we were hunting that worms are your best friend. If you ever run out of food, you can eat them. And if you’ve run out of water, you can follow them to find a source”

“ Please don’t tell me you ate worms as a kid”

Leon scrunched his nose at the idea, trying desperately to sound amused but deep down he felt a little sick at the thought. But this was the most his partner had spoken in days, so he didn’t want to scare him off.

Luis gave what could only be described as a half-chuckle.

“No, no, I never ate them. I didn't have the heart”

“You… felt bad for eating worms?”

“Sí.” 

Luis looked off into the rolling horizon of the mountains that formed the valley they stood in with a long, distant look in his eyes. He breathed a weary, almost nostalgic sigh through his nose.

“I loved bugs when I was a Chico. I used to collect them and put them in little jars to examine them like some kind of tiny scientist,” 

Luis smiled. He actually smiled. 

“My Abuelo always called me that, at least. I’d write down everything I learnt about the bugs and try to do a little drawing of them before I let them go, and after he’d come back from his trips Abuelo would always bring home books about bugs and whatnot for me. Sometimes I couldn’t even understand the language they were in, but I read them so thoroughly the spines would break and the pages would fall out.”

By the time Luis had finished speaking, they’d already made it to the edge of the lake. A cold breeze traveled down the valley and combed its way through the calm water, leaving behind little ripples that ended at the toes of Leon’s boots. He shivered in response, instinctively looking up at the sky for any strokes of rain- But he found none. Instead, the sun had already begun to dip below the horizon and hide behind fat, gray clouds. 

It was an oddly calm, and picturesque sight; the tide was so far out that a good portion of the lake was exposed and almost formed a little pathway that curled around and made its way to what looked to be a cathedral in the distance.

Leon could almost picture Luis sitting in this exact spot as a young boy, chattering away about bugs he found or the make-believe adventures he’d come up with as Don Quixote. It made Leon feel oddly nostalgic for something he had never experienced before.

“You see that Cathedral over there?”

Luis pointed past the lake and towards a dip in the valley where the church in question sat nestled between two mountains; it’s spires reaching high into the gray sky, dark and ominous. 

Leon nodded.

“After we’d get back from hunting or fishing, when the tide got low, my Abuelo would walk me down to the Cathedral on horseback and I got to play pretend that he was my Sancho, off on a faraway adventure with my trusty steed and lance,”

Luis turned away, his hair blowing so wildly in the breeze that Leon couldn’t see his expression.

“…Your Grandfather sounds like a lovely man.”

“He was.” 

Luis smiled. And all they could do was stare at the lake for a couple more moments, in complete silence- just taking in the experience and savoring it best they could.

“We’d spend hours in there together, even after service had ended. I know every nook and cranny of that place. ‘S why I reckon we’ll find the artifact the DSO’s looking for in there”

“ Oh, shit, that’s right, I completely forgot about that”

Leon had been too preoccupied listening to Luis’ stories and letting his mind conjure up the image of a little boy and his grandfather skipping along the tide-made pathway down to the cathedral, that he almost completely forgot about the mission at hand-

But it certainly wasn’t his priority at that moment. 

“So I guess that’s where we’re headed, huh?”

“Yep,”

Luis sucked in a breath and forcefully broke himself away from the scenery, looking equally as if he too was caught up in his own imagination. His eyes looked glossy and his expression had returned back to that unrelenting, emotionless faraway stare Leon had gotten used to seeing over the past couple days; but there was something else there, too.

“I haven’t been back there in a long, long time… no queda nadie de todos modos.”

“Luis, are you sure you’re Ok?”

Leon placed a cautious hand on his partner's shoulder to stop him from walking away. He’d asked that question a million times already, but maybe, just maybe this time he’d be able to get through to him.

“I’m-“

Luis signed shakily. Then paused. As if genuinely considering his question.

“…I’m fine, mí corazón. I have to be.”

——-

Leon underestimated just how long the walk around the lake truly would be; the sun had already begun to set below the ring of mountains behind the cathedral they were headed for, and the sky was cast the most intense shade of orange he had ever seen in his entire life.

But Leon’s focus was entirely on Luis.

He felt so helpless; all he ever wanted to do in life was to help people, yet here he was, unable to even help the love of his own life. He couldn’t protect him from his traumas, and he couldn’t protect him from the cruel way the Government had sent them out here in the first place.

As the night crept up on them slower and slower, Leon couldn’t help but get lost in his own imagination;

It was a weird feeling to comprehend. That he was walking the exact same path Luis had gone down almost every single day for his entire childhood. He was walking down the same path hundreds of people had, all with their own full and complex and unique lives-

Lives that had been so cruelly stripped away from them by Lord Saddler.

All people that Luis grew up with. That Luis knew personally, cared for, cared about- All stripped away from him in an instant. 

No wonder Luis seemed heartbroken. So distant and uncharacteristic- He was hurting. Leon knew that already. But seeing his traumas resurface so visibly and profoundly made Leon’s heart shatter in a way he couldn’t even begin to describe.

Luis walked without even a hint of his usual confidence or pep in his step; he just trudged along the pathway like it was second nature for him. And, sure, it probably was- But that didn’t feel like something to celebrate. Leon recognised the way he walked in himself. Like Luis’ body was working off of autopilot, just taking step after step after step to continue to survive.

So they kept walking. The silence between them was far from comfortable, but not awkward in the slightest, either. A million words wanted- no, needed to be said- but neither had the bravery to be the first to speak up.

He hadn't even noticed that they’d gotten to the entrance of the Cathedral until the ripples of shallow water underneath his military boots had subsided into a thin layer of mud. But when his attention was finally grabbed away from the thoughts in his own head, it was really grabbed away.

Leon had to crank his neck upwards to even be able to make out the top of the Cathedral; it’s dark, ebony-coloured walls accompanied by the deep ridges and tall, imposing spires spoking high up into the dark clouded had Leon staring like a fish out of water. He already got the hint that it was big from a distance- but being so up close to it like this, it was apparent that the building held at least some level of importance.

Especially considering that it was probably the only structure for miles that hadn’t been destroyed and burnt to a crisp.

The impossibly large mahogany doors were accompanied by comically sized door knockers; gold in color and easily the size of Leon’s head. He knew this because when Luis grabbed one of them with a shaky hand, it almost engulfed it entirely.

But he didn’t open the door.

He just stood there.

Fists balled up at his sides as he looked down at the rusty gold, eyebrows furrowed and lips trembling.

He looked like he was about to cry. And all Leon wanted to do was wrap him in a hug and protect him from everything.

“…Do you want me to go in first, love?” Leon asked hesitantly,

“Or I can go in by myself an-“

“N-no, I-I’m fine,”

Was Luis’ voice…. Trembling??? That only made Leon’s heart squeeze even further.

“I-I’m just thinking…”

“Thinking about what?” 

There was a pause.

But Luis didn’t answer. 

Instead, he silently pushed open the cathedral doors to reveal the room inside.

——-

Leon was awestruck from the second he saw the room.

It was nothing like what he imagined; where every single building up until this point had been destroyed and broken beyond repair, the church remained so perfectly intact Leon could probably be convinced it was built yesterday.

The walls looked as if they were made out of solid gold, the floor a harsh reflective marble, and on every side of the walls there were the most colorful and intricate stained glass windows Leon had ever seen in his entire life. The patterns made up a reflective story in the window of priests and mothers, all with such detailed faces Leon felt like they were looking straight at him.

But what was most impressive was the statue of Jesus right at the top of the steps, standing behind an altar, looming high into the top of the ceiling with such animosity it made Leon shudder. Only, Jesus’ head was no longer there to stare down at him; instead, his exposed neck had been impaled with the silvery symbol of Los Illuminados. The only sign that there was any kind of destruction here at all.

“God damn, Luis, this place is gorgeous”

Leon whispered breathily, finding his voice bounced off of the golden walls with ease.

Luis actually smiled.

“Sí. It is, is it not? This was our main Cathedral whenever something important happened, like a wedding or a funeral,”

Luis started walking around, his fingertips brushing up against the walls and the line of mahogany pews. Leon didn’t follow him; he just watched. There was something about the way 

that Luis moved that told him he needed the space.

“I’ve come here more times than I can even count. My Abuelo would take me here after hunts to thank the lord for our food, and it seemed that almost every week somebody new was getting married,”

Luis laughed at the memory, nostalgic.

“It was kind of ironic. My Abuelo and I were considered the outcasts of the village. ‘ El loco hombre’, they’d call him. At least before he…”

Luis trailed off. Leon could see the way he was gripping one of the pews with his fists, shoulders shuddering.

“…B-but, but when it came to being here? It’s like, suddenly, I knew everyone personally. I knew everyone’s mothers and their fathers, how their days went, what their plans for the future was, and then it all just… just….”

Leon had to take a step forward when he realized oh. Luis was crying. 

The brunette had already begun to wipe his tears away by the time Leon was at his side, but he couldn’t hide the pained expression glued to his face.

“I just… Lost everyone . Saddler got them all under his control and- Oh Dios mío, I’ve lost everything, haven’t I?”

Leon didn’t know how to respond. His throat dried up and he could hardly look at the way Luis was staring at him; so small, so vulnerable, as if he was only just now coming to terms with it all.

“ I-I-I’ve l-l-lost m-my Abuelo, m-my f-f-friends, m-my h-h-home, a-all m-my l-lifes work- a-all g-gone u-up into f-flames- a-and- j-joder-“

Once Luis began to cry, he wouldn’t stop.

Leon instinctively grabbed him by the arms and wrapped him into as tight of a hug as he could humanly muster; feeling every loud sob and cry against his chest reverberate into his soul and break apart piece by piece. He wished- more than anything else in this world- That he could take all of Luis’ pain away. He wished that he could turn back time and prevent everything that happened to him.

He wished he had the ability to articulate his words and comfort Luis in the same way Luis did for him; to be able to pull the love of his life out of this state with just a sentence alone.

But Leon knew he couldn’t. So instead, he held tightly onto Luis until his loud sobs turned into quiet whimpers that turned into little sniffles. Running his hands through his hair, kissing the crown of his head and mumbling sweet nothings into his ear all the while.

When Luis finally backed away, eyes puffy and red and face wet, Leon instinctively tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear.

“Are you Ok, Luis?”

“I’m fine,” 

He answered, as if on instinct. Then paused, and shook his head.

“…I will be fine. After all,”

Luis took Leons hands; the coldness of his rings against his skin apparent and comforting.

“I have you. Even if I’ve lost everything, I’ve still got you, don’t I?”

Leon couldn’t help but break a smile; there he was. There was his usual Luis back. Flowery words and gentle compliments that had Leon weak in the knees.

Even in moments like this- where it feels as though life has broken them down to their bare bones as a cruel joke- Leon can’t help but feel like he’s falling in love with Luis all over again.

“ Lo siento, I’ve been such a cabrón to you and Rebecca this entire time-“

“Don’t be sorry, love, you were hurting,”

Leon gently took his face and kissed him on the cheek.

“If anyone in the world understands how that feels, it’d be Rebecca. Besides, you’re right; You’ve always got me, and nothing you can say is gonna get rid of that”

Luis laughed- an actual, genuine laugh, and took a couple steps back. Leon cocked his head in confusion as he watched, wondering why he’d step away. Until…

“I probably don’t deserve to ask you this, but…”

Luis inhaled deeply,

“Leon,”

His voice was firm and steady. Laced with confidence and entirely unwavering.

“Will you marry me?”

Leon blinked in shock. 

And then he blinked again. 

Not entirely sure that he had heard the words come out of Luis’ mouth correctly. 

He froze in place, his feet glued to the marble floor beneath him. He could physically feel his heart skipping a beat and goosebumps crawling along his skin. 

Leon had to remember to breathe before he almost passed out from surprise in front of Luis, not intending for the shaky breath to come out so loudly and obviously. 

He couldn’t believe the words that had just fallen out of Luis’ mouth.

‘Will you marry me?’ 

Leon had to let his brain go silent and process exactly what those words meant. Ok. He probably doesn’t mean that literally, right? They couldn’t even get legally married, let alone right then and there. But…

But he had asked, right?

He had asked Leon ‘ will you marry me?’. Was he dreaming? Had he misheard? Luis looked so serious, though. His pretty eyes were glossed over and his posture was tense and taut, hands balled up in fists at his side as he waited patiently for an answer.

‘Oh god. He was being serious, wasn’t he?’

Leon’s voice came out in almost a whisper; too surprised to raise his voice but too scratchy and uncertain to not be unheard.

“… L-Luis, w-what do you-“

“Will you marry me, Leon,”

Luis’ voice was more confident this time. Unshaking and a little louder than before; like he was also trying to convince himself of what he had just said. 

“Right here. Right now. Underneath these cathedral halls. Will you marry me?”

Oh God. He was being serious.

Leon just stood there with his mouth open, trying to make noises but nothing came out- He probably would have been frozen in shock regardless of… Well, everything even if Luis had asked to marry him in any other scenario. But this? Now??

As a small child he always imagined what his proposal might’ve looked like, as plenty of other kids have.

He always imagined a fairytale-esque, one-knee-on-the-floor charming knight to have swept him off of his feet and pulled out the most lavish ring to offer a life far, far away from the prying eyes of his childhood home.

But this? This was even better than anything he could have ever pictured. And somehow, even more incomprehensible.

Luis was his Prince Charming. His Don Quixote, and he was his loyal Sancho Panza; always had been since day one. Luis always talked about how he saved him, but oftentimes, Leon felt as though it was the opposite way round.

This was straight out of a fairytale for Leon. A dark, fucked-up, unconventional fairytale; but a fairytale nonetheless.

Luis must have noticed Leon's hesitancy, since he doubled down; talking faster with every word as he tried to justify himself.

“I- I know that, that this isn’t traditional- and, hell, maybe it is just my emotions talking. Maybe I am getting more affected by my trauma than I thought, and you were right. Maybe I’m not in the right headspace to be doing this, and this is all one big mistake, but-“

Luis took a step towards Leon and grasped his hands, breaking the blonde out of his trance. The rings that wrapped around Luis’ pretty fingers were cold to Leon’s touch, grounding him back to reality. When he looked up to see Luis’ expression- his reddened nose, wet eyelashes and pouting lips-

God, he had never seen so much love in another person's eyes before in his entire life.

It felt stereotypical. Generic and something you’d hear straight out of a lavish poem written with the intent of being a tear-jerker. But Leon could honest-to-god get so lost in the eyes of his lover so easily. 

It made him feel weak in the knees; a warm feeling of raw emotion and vulnerability grabbed at his chest and each of his limbs felt soft and malleable. As if Luis were to just breathe in his direction hard enough, he’d be crumbling in his grasp. 

Leon felt like he was staring at the entire world once Luis continued to speak.

“-But I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life as I am right now,” 

Only then did Leon realize that he’d begun crying. Luis’ voice choked up and gutturally paused in time with the big, fat tears rolling down his face. He tilted his head up slightly to blink furiously, trying to force his vision to clear. 

He sucked in a harsh breath,

“A-And, I-I have n-never loved anyone as much as I love you, Leon,”

The trembling grasp on Leon’s hands tightened.

“I’ve lost- I’ve lost e-everything. E-everyone I-I’ve ever l-loved has either l-left me, or I’ve r-run away from them,”

Leon could feel his heart shattering into a million pieces as Luis hung his head, letting the big tears fall from his chin and silently onto the marble floor beneath them.

“I-I push everyone in my life away, Leon. I-I n-never even began to process j-just how much I’ve lost until we came here,”

His hand outstretched and showed off the never-ending cathedral walls, and metaphorically, the entire village of Valdelobos.

“I-I’ve l-lost everything that I’ve ever loved. M-My Abuelo, my home, my life’s work- and, a-and…”

Luis’ hands slipped over Leon’s once more. He could tell they were trembling again. He was trembling all over in general. Luis looked up through his teary eyelashes and stared straight into Leon’s eyes. His own swam with such raw and heartbreaking emotion that it was hard for Leon to even listen to the quiet, soft words that came out of his mouth.

“And… I don’t want to lose you, either. You- You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You saved me, in more ways than one. You mean the world to me. Joder, sometimes I still wonder what I even did to deserve you!”

Luis laughed, but it was clearly forced. He bought the heel of his hand up to wipe a stray tear from his face as he paused again. 

“And If… If one of us were to die…”

Luis’ voice cracked at the last word. Both of them were thinking the same thing; thinking about the same thing. But neither of them were brave enough to say it.

“…I wouldn’t want to go through the rest of my life knowing that I failed to propose to you. If I ever die, I’d want to die as your Marido.”

“…Luis, I- I don’t know what to say…”

Leon could feel his own tears start to brim at the bottom of his eyelids, blurring his vision slightly and distorting his view of Luis. He gripped onto his lover’s hands instinctively as his chest rushed with a mixture of excitement, nervousness and shock. He felt like his body would explode if he didn’t let go of Luis to go run or jump or yell or something, but at the same time, his feet were glued to the ground. His brain wouldn’t connect to his legs or mouth and it was now his turn to stay silent.

He couldn’t believe it. Leon just couldn’t believe what Luis was saying. It almost just entirely didn’t register in his mind. Like he physically could not comprehend it.

‘ I’d want to die as your Marido.’

“You… You know that it wouldn’t be, like, official, right?”

Leon hadn’t meant to sound so dismissive or argumentative; not in the slightest. It was just his brains natural response to what was happening- Trying to make sense of it all and find reason within the chaos that was their love.

“We can’t… We can’t get legally married, and, it’s not like we have a witness or anything-“

“Does it matter?”

Luis slipped his hands up the side of Leon’s face, and out of nowhere, his touch felt insanely overwhelming in the best way possible in that moment. 

They’d held and cradled each other's faces more times than they could count- Leon knew every single small mole and scar that were sprinkled across Luis’ skin- But somehow, this was different. 

Luis touched him so softly he felt like he could cry.

“Does it even matter if it’s legal or not? If it’s even worthy enough for the eyes of God?”

Luis’ voice was starting to grow wobbly as he forcefully blinked back tears, the hand on Leon’s face starting to tremble a little more.

“Who cares if it’s not correct? It’s just us, right here, right now. Is our love for each other not enough, do you think? Are we, ourselves, not enough?”

Leon’s eyes began to fill with even more tears and he furiously tried to blink them away, to focus entirely on Luis’ words and expression. 

His tone sounded almost desperate, like he was bargaining for Leon to say yes. 

And oh God did Leon want to say yes more than anything else in the world.

“B-But…”

Leon still somehow felt nervous and hesitant. Even though his brain was screaming at him to just say yes, the fluttering anxiety in his chest wouldn’t go away. His voice was quiet and soft as he spoke,

“ But I… I don’t even have a ring…- “

Before the words could even finish leaving Leon’s mouth, Luis gently pushed him back with two shaky hands and straightened himself up. Blinking the hot tears out of his eyes, he looked down and fiddled with his hands furiously, and it took Leon multiple seconds to realize that he was prying one of his rings from his fingers.

Leon didn’t even have time to process what was going on before Luis successfully pulled off the ring- the thick, metal band that was ingrained with small black symbols that were unreadable to Leon- and held it in his palm for a moment.

Then, Luis took it between his thumb and index finger, and got down on one knee in front of Leon. 

Holding it up against the fading sunset that shone through the cathedral stained glass, he let the light bounce off of the silver on the ring with a sharp shine to it.

Even with the golden walls of the church- the well-worn, dark mahogany seats- the large and beyond stunning and intricately made stained glass windows that backed onto the towering, shining golden statue of Jesus standing at the altar, reaching high into the ceiling-

Nothing in that church even came close to just how gorgeous Luis looked with that ring in his hands.

It shone brighter than anything else in that room, not even the pure gold or rainbow glass could come close to comparing- and Leon could have sworn he was staring at painting when Luis smiled up at him with tears falling down his cheeks and around the dimples of his toothy, unwavering, love-filled smile. His skin was aglow with a warm amber and Leon was drawn to his big brown eyes like a mosquito to honey. Each small, well-worn and delicate floral detail on his jacket lit up in the light and bounced back off of the round of his cheek, and his hair only served to frame his face like a whiskey-coloured halo.

He looked at Leon like he was his whole entire world. And Leon prayed his expression matched his at least somewhat. 

“Leon Scott Kennedy,”

Luis’ voice echoed throughout the empty halls of the cathedral. It’d been too many years since the church had seen such life, and his gentle voice was a welcome replacement from the silence. 

“From the day I met you, I knew that I loved you. I was convinced I was going to die in that body bag- No, tomaré eso de vuelta, The second I returned back to Valdelobos was when I just knew I wasn’t going to make it out alive. I was convinced that I’d be buried with my Abuelo underneath that house,”

Luis’ voice began to crack noticeably. And Leon had to keep bringing the heels of his palms up to his eyes to wipe away the tears lest he miss out on the moment entirely.

“But then you came along, Mí amor. I’ve always called you my Sancho Panza, and that is because you saved me. In more ways than one. In every way imaginable. Don Quixote would have been long dead before his journey even started if he hadn’t had his Sancho by his side; and the same applies for us. 

Maybe you and everyone else are right, and this is all just me letting my emotions get the best of me- But deep down, I have never been more sure of anything else in my entire life than I have in this moment, right now. And…”

Luis reached his ring out even closer to Leon,

“I would be honored to be your Marido.”

Leon hadn’t even noticed he’d begun crying until the tears grouped up at his jaw and his cheeks stung with hot, burning flashes. His vision had completely welled up to the point where he couldn’t even see the love of his life on his knees in front of him; Luis’ silhouette now just a wobbly mess of wet blobs and shapes much to his frustrated dismay.

Leon tried to speak- he really, honestly did- attempting to respond with anything. But his throat felt too thick and taut to let any of the words escape, and his lips trembled like crazy. 

He brought the heels of his palms back up to his eyes to aggressively rub the tears away- but they fell faster than he could even try to catch up with, only adding to the sparks of irritation and desperation shooting through his chest.

Leon probably would have cried in any scenario where Luis proposed to him. He probably would have been rendered speechless regardless of location or timing-

But something about this stung. In a good way.

Something about a pair of men who- under all circumstances, conditions and glorious strokes of luck- should have never even met, let alone bonded so thickly, falling so wholly and deeply in love in a way that was undeniably raw and human felt overwhelming to Leon in the moment.

The walls of the cathedral echoed their voices- bouncing from the golden accents and ringing back into their ears like an unfamiliar melody, and Leon could only imagine how long it must have been since two people shared such deep and profound love for one another within those walls.

The cathedral was probably only ever meant as a space for the most normative of couples to wed. Perfect in the eyes of God and whatever unspoken vows had clutched the glorified cult of Valdelobos for decades. 

But here Leon and Luis were. Breathing new life into a once doomed building in a way that would have never been approved by the people who built it. 

But… Leon highly doubted that anyone who has ever been wedded in that very Cathedral shared even close to the amount of love he had for Luis.

And was that not enough?

Not only that, though, but this used to be Luis’ home. He used to walk along the isle of this very building every Sunday. He knew every nook and cranny like the back of his hand and the walls themselves held childhood stories of Luis’ that Leon could only dream of.

Luis was proposing in his childhood cathedral.

The realization of it all hit Leon like a train and he couldn’t help the loud, broken sobs that escaped his throat; all he could do was cover his mouth with his hands and shake away the tears from his face, babbling utter nonsense and hunching over himself in a mixture of excitement and overwhelming emotion.

Luis laughed inbetween his own tears.

“I-Is that a y-yes, mi corazón?”

“ ‘Is that a yes’,”

Leon managed to mock Luis between his choked tears,

“ G-God fucking damnit, L-Luis, you’re an extremely idiot-“

“Well that’s one way to-“

Leon couldn’t hold in the buzz of his limbs for a second longer and threw himself against Luis; almost knocking the both of them back-first into the marble floor in a flurry of tears and laughter. Leon couldn’t even bring himself to worry about whether or not he was hurting him as he picked Luis up onto his feet and swung him around in a circle, tripping over his own feet, blinded by the foggy remains of old tears.

“ Yes!!! Yes, yesyesyesyesyes- A thousand fucking times yes!!”

Luis had already burst into a puddle of giggles by the time Leon grabbed his face and shoved him in for a kiss- the pair of them could hardly even keep still, let alone press their lips together with how wide their smiles were. Their lips clacked together and everytime one of them laughed, the other just wouldn’t stop. 

Leon could feel Luis’ warm nose pressing against his cheek and his own wet eyelashes brush against Luis’, tears clinging to each other's skin but neither of them could care.

Leon broke the kiss off with a gasp when he realized he hadn’t even been breathing the entire time, only to immediately go back to Luis as he peppered a thousand kisses across his skin. Leon knew every single small freckle, mole, wrinkle and scar his skin had to offer and he made sure to mull over each and every one with care.

“ I love you,”

He breathed between each kiss,

“I love you I love you I love you I love you I-“

“ E-Esperar, mí amor, esperar-“

Through breathless giggles, Luis managed to pry Leon off of his face and push him back gently- ring still clenched between his fingers as he gave Leon what could only be described as a love-stricken expression. 

Leon was practically buzzing from limb to limb, but waited patiently for Luis to speak as he took his hands with equal excitement, gently tugging him along. 

“Sígueme, Sígueme- I’ve got something to show you,”

Luis excitedly led Leon up the marble steps by his hand, not even bothering to look backwards at where he was walking- and instinctively swung him round until the pair of them were standing in front of the large, rather intimidating altar. Though nothing in that building was quite as intimidating as the impossibly large statue of Jesus fitted against the wall; it’s head had been long blown off and replaced by the stabbing symbol of Los Illuminados where the neck was poised and exposed. 

The implications felt cruel, but something about the two men who Saddler wanted dead most in the world not only thriving and in love, but getting wed underneath what would once have been his watchful eye felt like a satisfying middle-finger to Saddler and the rest of Los Illuminados.

When Leon glanced from Luis to the almost endless and empty isle filled with delicate pews and lit to perfection, he felt a weird sense of nervousness grasp at his chest; As if he were standing in front of an actual crowd, and not in an empty cathedral.

He couldn’t figure out why. Was it just the scale of the building? It was imposing, and intimidating for a reason- But Leon had stood up on stages behind important figures more times than he could even count on both hand,  so why would this be any different?

Or was it just the concept of it all? Was it just his body's natural response to standing in a position where he’d theoretically be wed; giving him involuntary pre-wedding jitters? ‘Little late for that now ’, he thought to himself gingerly. 

Then, and only then, was it that Leon spotted Luis out of the corner of his eye; ring in hand with the biggest smile on his face he’d ever seen. It was nice to see him smile again after the day they’d had.

“Wait- you don’t actually wanna get married right here, right??”

Once again, Leon hadn’t meant to come off as dismissive; but a weird feeling had long since settled in his chest and it could only be calmed by the look of pure adoration on his lover’s face. 

“…You know it wouldn’t be, like, legal or anything, right? I mean, like- We couldn’t even get legally married if we wanted to-“

“Times they are-a changing, mí amor,”

Luis tipped Leon's chin with two fingers, guiding him to look down at the ring sitting in the palm of his free hand.

Leon would be lying if he said he hadn’t secretly been thinking about what Luis’ rings would look like on his fingers for a long, long time.

“And, if we’re being honest, ¡me vale!! I don’t care if we don’t have a witness, and I don’t care if we’re not able to go home and celebrate with our friends- This is more real to me than any other wedding. I feel as though I’m too in love with you for it to not be,”

Luis tipped his chin back up, forcing Leon to look him in the eyes.

“And, if we’re both being honest with ourselves… I don’t think you care, either”

And Leon laughed.

He laughed because if he didn’t, he’d probably end up crying. More than he already was, that is.

But that plan sorely backfired when Leon’s exasperated chuckled turned into even more tears.

‘ Goddamnit. I don’t even remember the last time I cried. Now look at me.’

“You’re right,”

Leon finally managed to stutter between teary hiccups.

“I couldn’t give less of a shit right now.

I don’t care if all of this,”

He waved his hands over the empty cathedral,

“Is cringe-worthy or stupid or whatever. I just wanna marry you.”

Luis fake-gasped, “How dare you call our wedding stupid! ¡Díos mío!”

“Sorry!!”

Laughter erupted from the both of them like a comforting symphony. It felt good to be able to joke. To be able to relax and put your faith in somebody else for once.

Especially after the, quite frankly, shitty day the both of them had-

They deserved this. They’d deserve it even if they hadn’t agreed to this mission. They deserved each other and they deserved to be happy after everything.

Once Leon’s laughter had subsided and dissipated into soft giggles, that’s when Luis straightened himself up; pushing Leon’s chest back gently and standing just a couple steps apart, Luis took a big, deep breath in. It was shaky, and Leon could hear it- But the way his eyes lit up and how his fingers fumbled with the ring between them let Leon know that he was ok.

For the first time since they’d left for the mission, he was ok.

Luis could hardly keep his smile down- Which, to be fair, happened a lot- And had to bite his bottom lip with his teeth and shake the hair from his vision to keep himself collected.

It was kind of ironic. When Leon first met Luis, he purposefully danced around any subject put in front of him like he was being paid.

But now he couldn’t not wear his heart on his sleeve even if he tried. He was always one for flowery speeches, and this was no exception.

“Leon Scott Kennedy,” Luis breathed in shakily,

“I have said this before, and I will say it again. I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. Your heart has been stitched onto your sleeve even when you’ve tried to hide it. Do you remember the first thing you ever said to me? ‘ It seems like you really wanted to talk?’”

“Don’t remind me,” Leon laughed, a little embarrassed.

Luis continued,

“When I first saw you, I thought to myself; there he is. There’s my Sancho. The man I’ve been waiting for my entire life, and he’s all I could ever want and more. Ever since I was little, I always pictured what my Sancho might look like. ‘ No, couldn’t be my Abuelo’, I’d think to myself. Too old. Too wise”

Luis laughed, nostalgia ridden deep within every word he spoke.

“I’ve never felt so much hope for my future since I met you. I look at you, and I think about where I was before I first met you, and I just-“

He sounded choked up.

“-I never thought I’d have a future, Leon. I thought I was destined to die. Doomed to be a coward forever. When I asked you, ‘ People can change, right?’, I was pleading for you to say yes. Because I wanted my life to mean something in the end.”

Luis blinked his tears away rapidly,

“But… With you? I have never felt more free. For the first time since I can remember, I can look at my future and feel something other than pain; when I look at my future, I see you, Leon.

You. You beautiful idiot. You say the dumbest things and I fall for them everytime,” 

Luis laughed, and so did Leon.

“You’re honest to a fault; And I have never, not once met somebody who was as kind, and caring, and so driven to help people as you. Match made in heaven, no? You saved me. In every way a person can be saved. I’ve never felt more whole than when I am with you. You’ve loved me more unconditionally and wholly than any other person ever has, and I can only hope I’ve reciprocated that love just as wholly, too.

You are like the sun to me; warm, welcome and something I need to survive. You’ve given me the opportunity to not only survive, but thrive, Leon. And-“

Luis held out the ring to Leon, hands trembling.

“- I want to grow old with you and watch age change us as people. I want to be by your side under the sun every single day for the rest of time. If you die, I die, too. As your Marido. In sickness and in health, after all. 

And I can’t imagine anyone else I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you, Mí amor.”

By the time Luis had finished, Leon was full-on sobbing at that point.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he tried to hold his breath in or wipe the furious tears out of his stinging eyes- he couldn’t stop the endless cycle of silent little sobs that wracked his body. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but consistently, all that came out were little whines and hiccups.

Luis didn't seem too far behind, either. He was just as teary-eyed and was trying to chuckle through it. The both of them were a total mess and they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“ God f-fucking d-damnit, Luis,” Leon managed to stutter between sentances,

“ You- f-fuck you and your way with words-“

“H-Hey!” Luis laughed, clearly taking the smile on Leons face as a positive sign.

“I’m sorry for making you cry-“

“N-No, y-you didn’t- I-I mean, you did, but t-that’s not- Goddamnit,”

Leon felt slight frustration bubbling up in his chest. Why couldn’t he just get the damn words out of his mouth?!

He was never good with his words, that much was true. His friends often lovingly teased him about it and it was especially obvious when he was on missions that required public speaking. But why did it just now have to bite him in the ass?!

“S-Sorry, sorry, I just- I don’t know w-what to say-“

“You don’t have to say anything!”

Luis reassured him with a slight shake of his hands and a strained voice, still sniffling his own tears away as he tried to ground Leon back to reality.

“I don’t expect you do say anything-“

“B-but, Luis, you just did-“ Leon waved his hands,

“All that for me! And I can’t even get myself to respond?? I feel awf-“

“That just means I’ve left you speechless,”

Even through Leon’s tears, he could see Luis giving him that ever-characteristic wink and toothy smirk. It made him smile. It always did. Luis always somehow knew how to make him feel better.

“Fuck you,” Leon groaned playfully, giving him a little shove, much to Luis’ dismay. 

“ ¡Oye!! Show some decorum at our wedding!”

For the nth time that day, Leon laughed at Luis’ stupid jokes. He always did, and he hoped he always would.

“But I’m being serious, ¡mí corazón! I don’t expect you to say anything back! I know for a fact that you appreciate it, and that’s enough for me”

Even though Luis tried to cup Leon’s face with his hand for reassurance, the blonde still shook his now-shaggy hair and insisted on stepping backwards, clearing his throat all the while.

“No, nononono, I can- I can think of something”

“Muy bien. Take all the time in the world. We’re in no hurry”

“Yeah. Just- just gimme a moment,”

Leon just stood there for a couple moments, letting the tears dry up on his cheeks as he clenched and unclenched his fists, deep in thought. He could tell Luis was desperately trying not to laugh at him by the way he was biting at his lips.

“ Ok, ok.. I think I’ve got it. If there were people here, I reckon I’d be screwed”

“All the more reason for us to be wed here and now, no?” Luis grinned cheekily. Leon just rolled his eyes as he began to speak,

“Luis… When I first joined the RPD, I wanted to help people. When the incident in Raccoon City happened, all I wanted was to save the entire city so nobody else had to get hurt. I could have never, ever imagined that my life would’ve turned out the way it did. I don’t- I don’t talk about it lots, because, y’know, it’s hard…. But- But being coerced into working for the DSO was easily one of the most traumatizing things I’ve ever been put through. You know what they did, right? They held Sherry’s life over my head. I signed that contract without reading the fine print. And…”

Leon paused to take a deep breath in, to stop himself from rambling.

“…A-And, and ever since then, a part of me has always felt like my life was never mine. I was always the Government's personal weapon. Like a dog whose collar was choking them slowly. 

I don’t think you and I are too different in that we never saw a future for ourselves. I always thought I’d either drink myself to death, or bite off more than I could chew on a mission, or end up killing myself…. I accepted my fate that I’d never be able to help anyone in a way that mattered. But..

..But what I think I really needed was help for myself. I don’t think- I don’t know if I’d have ever gotten out of that dark, dark place in my life without you.

You showed me how to love in a way I never knew I could love somebody. I realized that, hey, maybe life is worth living- I realized that I actually have people around me who care about me, and who love me unconditionally, and…-“

Leon exhaled slowly.

“…And I have no idea how to thank you enough for that. I never would have known I was capable of experiencing such profound love if I hadn’t met you. You’ve changed me as a person, Luis. In all the best ways possible. I love you, a lot. And- And I would be so, so honored to be your Husband”

Much to Leon’s pride, it was Luis’ turn to get all choked up; he whispered something along the lines of ‘este hombre me va a matar’, under his breath, before shaking his head and sniffling to himself to maintain composure.

Luis, finally, took Leon's hands with such gentle grace it almost felt unreal, and gingerly placed his ring in his palm.

“Leon S. Kennedy, ¿Me tomas como tu Marido ilegalmente casado?”

Maybe in another life, Leon would have had the cowardice to laugh and call Luis cliché. But he would only be a hypocrite if he did. He loved Luis too much.

He nodded.

“I do. And Luis Serra Navarro, do you take me as your unlawfully wedded Husband?”

“ Sí. I do.”

The two of them instinctively paused.

There was nobody to say, ‘ then by the power invested in me’; there was no God to officiate them and there were no spectators to watch.

They just had each other. And when they realized there was- for once in their lives- nobody to conform to, to perform for; 

So the two of them wasted no time throwing themselves at each other in a kiss. 

Once their lips had started to knead together Leon was the first to move his hands and grasp at Luis locks; he always liked to have his hair wrapped around his fingers in some way shape or form, after all. He gave his lover’s now-messy ruffles a tight tug to encourage him onwards, and Luis got the message shortly thereafter. He tilted his jaw and pressed so firmly against Leon’s lips, it almost hurt- His pretty nose gently dug into his cheek and the blonde could practically feel his dark eyelashes against his skin, but he still couldn’t be close enough to him. 

Leon slung an arm around Luis’ waist to close the gap between their chests with the sole purpose of being able to feel Luis’ heavy heart thrum against his own; loud and reassuring, keeping as steady of a pace as Leon’s. 

Luis wasn’t far behind, and took the opportunity to slip the free hand not holding his ring around the nape of Leon’s neck, brushing his calloused thumb up against the nerves below his ears so softly that it made Leon feel as though he was getting a million static shocks all at once.

Leon almost forgot about the action at hand, he was so focused on making sure that his kiss blew any others he gave to Luis out of the water- he focused so hard on making sure that Luis knew just how much he loved him, that he forgot to breathe. When he felt his lungs constructing- and not in a romantic way- he had to physically pry Luis off of his lips. Panting all the while, looking and feeling like he’d just ran a marathon.

But somehow it still wasn’t enough. Maybe it was just the excitement building up in his chest, fogging his brain to any self-awareness on how cringe-worthy it might be; But Leon promptly grabbed Luis by the waist and lifted him up- ignoring the fact that it was only by a few centimeters off the ground, given how tall Luis was- and spun him around a couple times.

The pair of them devolved into laughter that only stopped when Luis began to go “ Ow ow ow ow ow wait Sanchito that hurts-“

“S-sorry!!”

Leon exclaimed, quickly propping Luis back onto his feet. He figured it was his back injury giving him pain.

“Sorry sorry sorry, I shouldn’t have been so rough-“

“¡Está bien!!” Luis flashed him his iconic smirk, teeth bared and eyes squinted, 

“Don’t fret that handsome head of yours. Besides,”

Luis held up the ring,

“You still haven’t tried this on”

Leon nodded enthusiastically, offering Luis his trembling right hand. And Luis took it so gingerly, so affectionately- like he was worried Leon might shatter as if he were made of glass.

With bated breaths, Luis slipped the ring onto Leon’s finger. 

And both of them let out an unintentionally loud sigh of relief when it fit on with ease.

“ Gracias a dios, it fits,” Luis exhaled, exasperated.

Leon couldn’t even bring himself to respond. All he could do was stare at the ring sitting snug against his wedding finger- perfectly fitting him like it was always meant to be there.

Leon never wore rings. He never even imagined himself wearing one as a Husband, yet at the same time, he spent hours daydreaming about what Luis’ rings might look like on his own fingers- 

And it felt better than he could imagine.

It was an odd sensation, but a good one. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of the way it shone against his skin, reflecting the golden walls of the Cathedral through its intricate patterns. And, instinctively, he began to roll it around under his thumb meticulously. Feeling the ridges under his skin and committing them each to memory. It felt oddly familiar yet totally alien at the same time.

“That was my Grandfathers,”

Luis broke the silence. 

“He always told me; ‘ If you ever need to part with that ring, make sure to give it to somebody who deserves it.’ Apparently it’d been in our family for generations, but sólo dios sabes how true that is,”

Luis winked. “But either way, I think you deserve it more than you know”

There was just… Something about the fact that,

Not only was this Luis ’ ring, but it’d been his Grandfathers and Great-Grandfathers and Great-Great-Grandfathers ring before him- Something about the fact that Luis was trusting Leon with such a precious artifact, and something about the fact that it somehow fit on Leon’s fingers-

“ It looks perfect on you,”

Luis whispered into his ear, breaking his thoughts as if he were reading his mind.

“ Like it was made for you.”

Luis bent down and gave Leon a kiss on his new Wedding ring- courteous and gentleman-like. It made Leon smile. He truly was a spitting image of a fine knight.

“…Thank you, love”

“ De nada, mí corazón”

The two of them just stood there for a good while. Just staring at each other. Drinking in one another’s affection and savoring the silence of the cathedral. 

There truly weren’t any words that could fully encompass what they were feeling.

They had each other. And that was enough.

They would be Ok.

——-

By the time the two of them had gotten back to America, Leon was practically jumping off the walls with contained excitement.

It wasn’t illegal for Leon to get married, per se- But when he had signed his life away in that contract however many years ago, he hadn’t read the fine print, and he wa s pretty sure marriage was relatively off the table. It wasn’t like he was expecting it anytime soon, anyways. Not until he met Luis, that is.

Almost every single day at work, Leon would get lost in his own daydreams, staring down at the ring on his fingers and brushing his thumb along it as a stim. He was probably ruining the silver, but it had become a habit. He’d only ever be broken out of his trance if either Luis or a coworker was snapping their fingers in front of his face.

So when they first arrived home, the only people Leon told about the faux-wedding were Ashley and Rebecca. 

“ Oh my god!! You got married and you didn't even invite me?!”

“It wasn’t exactly a planned wedding, Ashley,” 

Leon had to hide his excited tone under a grumble over the phone, with Luis smirking like an idiot on the other side of him.

“ Still!! That’s so awesome!!!!! I’m so happy for you guys! If you ever wanna hold, like, a proper wedding in secret or anything, I know a really good private venue…-“

Rebecca was the second person Leon told. Mostly because she cornered him on the way to work to demand to know how the hell he got Luis back to his normal self , but the second he told her all about what happened, she was ecstatic. 

To the point where when Leon’s superiors tried to yell at him for having not brought back the artifact they’d sent him out to find (Which, whoops, he’d totally forgotten about) she would go out of her way to absolutely chew them out and shout in their faces, throwing papers about mental health and PTSD all over their tidy office floors. 

Hell, Hunnigan wasn’t far behind, either- She was front-and-center defense when it came to the legalities 

Leon was just excited in general.

It felt like a fever dream; like a honeymoon phase that never ended. Every time somebody passed him and noticed the ring on his finger and said ‘ oh congratulations!!’, he felt like a giddy teenager.

Sure, it kind of sucked that he wasn’t able to tell anyone who exactly his new beloved was- But Luis certainly never cared, and still held his hands or gave him secret little kisses on the cheek during work hours. Again, it made Leon feel like a giddy fool.

He felt like a completely new man every time he kissed Luis, which as cliche as it sounded, was true.

One particular afternoon, while Luis was busy tinkering away in the lab and Leon was waiting (impatiently) in the office break room for the coffee machine to be free, he was staring down at his ring- as he usually did- and hardly even noticed when one of his coworkers, Patrick slipped up beside him. 

Patrick was a sweet guy, and always said hello to Luis when they passed by. Leon’s new Husband always offered him to come round for dinner, but he always had to politely decline.

“Whose the lucky lady?”

He had broken the silence, nodding towards the ring clasped around his wedding finger. Leon could feel that ever-familiar giddy and boyish feeling of excitement wash over him again.

Usually, Leon would shrug and answer with a joke to avoid answering the question. But for whatever reason, today, he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He smiled up at Patrick, 

“Oh, you know him very well.”