#WHY MUST THIS SCENE BE SO CUTE

[msp9]

I LOVE THEM SM😭😭😭

[dungeons-and-dictions]

Just two cannibal overlords and their daughter.

So supportive and proud of her accomplishments.

Cute photo of mom and dad!

[timothylawrence]

Rocky workout scene except it’s me trying to gain the courage to publicly post a wyll x tav fic

[seyaryminamoto]

The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

Day 8: Winter

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

"Woah, that was a restful night," Aang smiled carelessly by morning, taking his seat in the dining hall of the Eastern Air Temple where the group would eat their breakfast.

"You sure you're feeling alright?" Katara asked him, raising a hand to his forehead. "No fever, you're not overextended…?"

"I'm way better than I was the last time I was conscious. If that helps," Aang smiled before turning to the other two occupants of the dining room, who looked about as exhausted as he felt. "How about you two? Feeling okay?"

Sokka and Azula sat side by side, groggy and yawning. Azula nodded in response to Aang's question, but her half-lidded eyes spoke for themselves.

"Spiritual adventures can be… draining," Sokka answered, with a weak grin. "But we're alright. Just… need to recharge all over again."

"I can't believe it's over," Azula admitted, surprising Sokka.

"You mean… seeing Yue?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.

"Drank my water this morning and… she wasn't there," she said, with a sad smile. "Nor in the mirror, when I looked. It doesn't feel real… even though it should, considering she was a vision all along…"

"Well, she's back where she needs to be," Katara said. "I know it's little comfort, just as it wasn't when she first turned into the Moon Spirit… but I don't think I'd seen a brighter moon before last night. My bending felt stronger for it, too."

"Just my luck, strengthening the waterbenders with my rare good deeds," Azula smirked. "Should've just continued my track record as a terrible person and kept Yue leashed to me, then…"

"Well, believe it or not, I have no intentions of picking a fight with you these days, so unless you're the one who picks it, I think you don't have to worry about how strong or weak I might be," Katara said, with a sardonic smirk. Azula laughed and shrugged.

"So be it. I'll pick a fight with Toph, if I want someone to spar with," she said.

"You could always spar with me," Sokka said. Azula groaned, dropping her head on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow.

"Only after we've rested some more. You'll beat me if I fight you like this and I would never forgive myself for that," she said. Sokka chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Katara eyed their closeness with a slight sneer – evidently, it would take time for her to grow used to their relationship, but that she wasn't demanding that they stopped being affectionate with each other in her presence was probably the best start they could have asked for. Instead, she decided to shift her attention to other matters…

"You did bring up Toph… not surprising that she's being lazy, of course," she said, pushing herself up. "But it's kind of strange for both her and Zuko to be lazy in the morning. He did say once that he rises with the sun… I figured that meant he doesn't sleep in."

"He probably just said that to sound more impressive than he actually is," Azula said. Katara couldn't hold back a smile at that remark.

"I'll go check on them anyway," she said. "Breakfast's going to get cold otherwise."

"I can come with you if you want," Aang said, but Katara shook her head.

"Stay here, eat. I'll be back soon," she said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Aang grinned giddily at the gesture as his wife walked away.

He watched her go, still as smitten as ever. Sokka rolled his eyes, smirking slightly while Azula picked one of the sweet buns on the table, ripping it in half and offering one of the pieces to Sokka.

"You two really don't change at all, huh?" he said. Aang turned towards him again, with a careless smile. "Still ogling my sister like you'd never seen her before…"

"Well, how is it my fault that she gets more beautiful every day?" Aang said, still grinning. "You know what? I think… I think we should go for number two."

"Number two? Uh, y-you mean, for the, uh… the loo?" Sokka asked. Azula snorted, choking on the bun and Sokka panicked, patting her back. "Azula?! You okay?"

"That's not what I meant!" Aang blushed: he startled Azula, though, by unclogging her throat far more effective and quickly than ever before by using his airbending.

"T-thank you," Azula smiled awkwardly, and Aang pouted at Sokka, who still held his lover carefully.

"I meant a second kid!" Aang exclaimed.

Sokka froze for a moment, and Azula met his gaze, amused.

"You really didn't think that was what he meant? Even in that context?" she asked.

"I…! I don't know, it didn't cross my mind! I…!" Sokka winced, turning towards the blushing Aang. "You guys sure? Is this about, uh, trying to make more airbenders?"

"It's about me being hopelessly in love with my wife," Aang said, proudly. "We've talked about wanting a big family. I guess, if it gets too big, we'll stop eventually, but… I've never really experienced a family like this before, you know? It's a whole new thing for me. My parents didn't exactly raise me the way yours, uh… w-well, yours would have raised you, but I know it wasn't quite like that for either of you."

"Huh," Sokka raised an eyebrow, taking a bite off his own sweet bun by now. "Well… you could go for it, I guess. Just, don't regale me with any explanations on how you'll make a new baby because that'd kill my appetite."

"I won't, I won't," Aang smiled awkwardly.

"Here I thought you liked the process of making babies all too well…" Azula commented carelessly: both men in the room blushed profusely, and Sokka elbowed her ribs slightly.

"C'mon, now…"

"Don't you?" She smirked.

"Well… sure! But we're not trying to make babies, are we?"

The question burst out of him before he knew it, and it caught both of them by surprise. Azula blinked blankly as a strange awareness bloomed in Sokka's eyes, too.

"Are we?" he asked again.

Azula shivered and shook her head rapidly.

"I mean… not intentionally. Not right now, no. Maybe in time. If we're ever… well, ready," she said. Sokka nodded slowly.

"Then… you guys are that committed, huh?" Aang grinned. "That's great! Guess you'll stay together, going forward?"

"We… might," Sokka said, glancing down at Azula, who frowned slightly. "Provided that's what she wants. I know it's what I want, but…"

"Might be a better conversation to have without the Avatar in the middle of it," Azula said. Sokka chuckled, but Aang pouted.

"Not that I want to pry or disturb your privacy, but… I'm supportive!" he said. "That's all I wanted you to know. If you two found love together, I think that's amazing. It's a little crazy to think Sokka's not with Suki anymore sometimes, but…"

"Crazier for you than it is for me," Sokka smiled sadly. "That relationship had run its course for far too many years before it finally ended."

"Probably. But most of us thought everything was, uh, mostly okay?" Aang shrugged. "It's a big change. But… you do look happier now than you've been in forever."

"Because I am," Sokka grinned, hand falling on Azula's waist as he reeled her closer. "I think I found what I didn't know I was looking for."

"I'm a big box of surprises that way, apparently," Azula smiled at him before shaking her head. "In any case, I don't really have any plans. I guess in a sense I feel like I didn't quite finish what Yue wanted us to do… but after what she said, it seems that she didn't actually want that journey for herself: she wanted it for me."

"You mean, seeing the world, the sights, the seasons…?" Aang asked. Azula nodded.

"It's strange. She was looking out for me, pretending to be selfish while instead she was granting me everything she would have wanted to have in life, if her circumstances had been more forgiving," Azula said, earnestly. "If she'd told me that it was for my benefit, at first, I would have refused to go along with it, but…"

"Good thing you didn't," Sokka said, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Azula smiled.

"Yeah. Good thing I didn't," she agreed, taking his hand in hers.

"I'll have to go back to Republic City eventually, though," he pointed out. Azula hummed in acknowledgement. "Maybe… we can get you a spot on the council too?"

"Sounds very much like nepotism to me," Azula smirked. Aang laughed.

"Well, the Fire Nation representative did say he was getting too old for diplomatic matters," he pointed out. "You might be a good candidate to take over. You know, as long as Zuko agrees."

"He seems to trust you more than usual, lately," Sokka pointed out. Azula shrugged.

"We'll see. It's hard to believe Zuko would give me that kind of responsibility regardless of…"

A piercing scream in the upper floors of the temple caused all three of them to fall silent abruptly.

"Katara?!" Aang gasped.

He was out of the hall as fast as lightning. Sokka followed suit, and while Azula didn't feel the urge to run too, she still decided to go after Sokka in case her aid came in handy. What, exactly, could have caused the waterbender to have that kind of outburst? Had she found a strange Air Nomad trap, triggered it, perhaps? That might have happened if this were a Fire Nation location instead… did Air Nomads do anything of the sort? Azula certainly didn't know enough about their culture to make a proper guess about that…

But by the time she reached the scene that had elicited Katara's scream, she realized no bending could possibly fix what had shocked Katara enough to let out a sound quite so alarming…

"If I wanted to be woken up early, I would've brought a pigster with me! Quit your screaming and your yapping, Katara, damn it!" Toph groaned, covering her ears with a pillow: even though so many people taller than her stood in the way, Azula still caught sight of Toph within the room…

She lay on her stomach in bed, and the covers had rolled down her back, exposing that it was naked.

Well. Perhaps the reckless earthbender preferred sleeping naked, as Sokka had pretended to in Ember Island. Azula was growing fonder of the concept nowadays thanks to Sokka's company, it was quite easy to drift into sleep after a round or two of…

Wait.

Couldn't that be the explanation, too?

"You… y-you… what the hell is going on here?!" Katara finally managed to snap out of her shock to properly ask a question… and it wasn't Toph who answered it.

"L-look, I know this seems crazy and out of place and…! B-but it's not what you think! Okay, well, maybe it is what you think, but…!"

Sokka winced, glancing back at Azula to find a frozen smile across her face at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Whaaaaat…?" she said, her own voice small and nervous.

"Uh… I don't know. I guess those two, uh…" Sokka grimaced: Toph, inside the room, huffed while Zuko scrambled into view, dressed awkwardly, in what would have been the attire to his silent walk of shame if only Katara hadn't caught him well before he started it.

"You… and Toph?!" Katara asked, glaring at Zuko in disbelief.

"W-well…!" Zuko blushed, heart racing under the sharp scrutiny of the rest of the group.

"It was a one-time thing!" Toph huffed. Zuko froze, eyes wide.

"It… was?" he said, turning towards her. "Wait, we never said…!"

"I never said I wanted to go again, Sparky. Guess I was just that good for you, was I?" she smirked. "But that's not my style, pal. Now, get out of here, all of you. I barely slept last night as it is…"

"B-but wait, that IS my style!" Zuko exclaimed, flustered. "I don't… do one-night stands!"

"Well, you do now. Congratulations!"

His jaw dropped, and as much as nobody truly understood what was going on between Zuko and Toph, most of them couldn't help but feel some compassion for the shocked firebender.

"Uuuh… maybe you should just, you know, go to your own room, change, wash up…?" Aang suggested. Zuko grimaced and lowered his head.

"None of you were supposed to… ugh. I'll be on my way," he grumbled, walking past everyone without meeting their gazes.

"And you?" Aang asked Toph, raising an eyebrow. She groaned.

"Fuck off. I'll have breakfast for dinner."

"Sounds about right," Aang smiled awkwardly, turning around and wrapping his arms around Katara. "You okay?"

"Slightly… stunned," Katara admitted, eyes wide still. "I thought Zuko would be out practicing his forms or something when I saw his room was empty. Didn't ever imagine I'd find him here with… spirits, I can't believe it. Zuko and Toph?"

"She's been hitting on him relentlessly lately. Guess she got what she wanted in the end," Sokka smiled a little, leading the rest of the group back to the lower floors, leaving Toph to her rest.

Zuko, naturally, wasn't as calm or careless about the situation as Toph was. He apologized profusely to Katara over what she saw – leaving everyone to wonder just how exposed they had been to her unprepared eyes – and he ate breakfast while scowling.

"Wasn't like we were trying to make a fuss or anything, it was just…! W-well…" Zuko said, running a hand over his hair. "She keeps flirting with me lately and I couldn't help but wonder if something could come of it, most of all after we almost died yesterday! I didn't really think we'd face that kind of danger again after the war ended, but when we did, I…"

"You figured you'd make your survival count for something and fucked one of your best friends," Azula smirked. Zuko blushed, covering his face with his hands. "How wonderful. Now you can't blame me for doing the same thing with another of them, can you?"

"At least it sounds like you two are trying to, well, make something real out of this. Toph just tried to get into my pants, succeeded, and now the novelty wore off or something?" Zuko scoffed.

"Maybe she wants you to be the one to show you want her this time?" Katara said, with an awkward smile. "But I don't know. Maybe don't show her anything. I still have no idea about how to feel over this whole situation…"

"In a sense, I suppose they were the only ones among our group who weren't a couple, so… might be they felt like they might as well go for it?" Sokka said, with a shrug. Zuko huffed.

"So, it's just meaningless for us to have had anything, you mean?" he said.

"Sounds like Toph feels that way," Sokka shrugged. Zuko groaned.

"I don't… do meaningless sex! Ugh, why do I get myself into these sorts of messes?" he said, dropping his head heavily on the table. "Unreal. I need to talk to her."

"Leave it for dinner, apparently that's when she'll wake up," Azula said.

"We, uh, had something important to talk about with you that has nothing to do with that, though," Sokka said. Zuko grunted, raising his head slightly to glare at him.

"You sure? No more humiliation over my questionable life choices?" Zuko asked.

"We'll get back to that after, if you don't mind," Sokka grinned cruelly. Zuko groaned and lowered his head again. "Thing is, we were thinking about the future. Aang says the Fire Nation representative in the council has been thinking about retiring… and maybe it's okay if he does! So, uh… what would you think of Azula as his replacement?"

Zuko flinched and raised his head again, this time a streak of curiosity in his face as he met his sister's eyes.

"You… uh, in Republic City's council? Do you want that?" he asked. Azula shrugged.

"Can't pretend it'd be my most exciting venture in life, but I think I can handle it," she said. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Sokka is the chairman. You'd have to answer to him," he said. Azula scoffed, glaring at her lover, who grinned carelessly at her.

"Well, he'll think he's in charge. The hidden truth is a whole other matter," Azula smirked, and Sokka yelped at her declaration.

"Hey, now… if you want something done, you can just tell me!" he said. "No need to pull strings while I'm not paying attention, or so…"

"The point is I'd always have my way. You won't say no to me because that'd mean saying no to, uh, the pleasures my brother grew all too acquainted with last night, I guess…"

"Ugh! We weren't talking about that anymore, Azula!" Zuko exclaimed, cheeks flushing again as everyone else laughed.

"Come on, now, you have enough sense not to ask for anything I shouldn't grant you," Sokka smiled, nudging her with his elbow.

"But what if my uncle shows up in town and I have to pour spice in every single one of his kettles? You wouldn't possibly approve of that, now, would you?"

"I'll tell Uncle Iroh to never visit Republic City," Zuko said, with a deadpan voice. Azula scoffed, throwing a fist in the air with frustration. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.

"You really should, because I might just let her do it otherwise," Sokka smiled. Azula couldn't help but laugh at his admission.

"I've corrupted you so, Sokka, I really have…" she smiled proudly at him: his affectionate smile warmed her heart, just as well.

"Well…! We'll see about that," Zuko said, shaking his head. "I don't know if the representative is all that ready to resign, it's the first I've heard of it. Plus, you two in the council? It sounds like you're going to fix all the worst problems in the world and start all the stupidest ones you can instead, and I don't know if I want to be responsible for that."

"Come on, why would we do that?" Sokka smiled. "We'll get plenty of work done to solve big and important problems, and then we'll just fuck in some storage closet during our free time and…"

"Sokka!" Katara and Zuko exclaimed: Azula burst out laughing at their reaction.

"What? What's so wrong with that?"

"You know what?" Zuko said, raising a hand towards them, his index finger extended. At first he pointed at Sokka… then, he turned it towards Azula. "There's another job you might be able to do. If the representative doesn't retire."

"Oh? Chairman of the Public Morals Committee or something?" Azula smirked.

"Not a damn chance," Zuko scoffed, as Azula and Sokka chuckled. "I mean… you could join the United Republic's Armed Forces."

All laughter ceased then.

"Wait… what?" Azula blinked blankly. Zuko folded his arms over his chest.

"Will be up to you, I guess, if you want to be in politics or in military matters," he said. "Also depends on whatever the representative wants, of course. But that's an option too. The army's barely being built up right now, the United Republic absolutely needs defenses, and even if you're not exactly beloved in the Earth Kingdom, I think joining the army might work well for you. Think about that possibility too, if you want."

"Heh. And here I figured you might just tell her to stay in the Fire Nation with you and your mom," Katara said. Zuko blinked blankly.

"Well… that option exists too," he said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I assumed you'd want to stay with Sokka, though. But, if you decided otherwise… you could always come home."

Come home.

Words she had never thought she'd hear from someone else, least of all her brother, words she had never believed she'd be worthy of.

It wasn't a bad offer… only, she wasn't quite sure what said offer meant just yet.

Home… the Fire Nation had been her home all along. It was where she had belonged, up until she no longer belonged anywhere. Perhaps, in the end, all she had wanted was to come home indeed, back when she had terrorized her own nation, seeking always to return to something that was irremediably lost… and, upon knowing it lost, she had simply retaliated against the changes by sabotaging, discouraging, destroying whatever new, positive changes Zuko was trying to bring to their world.

She never imagined the day would come when Zuko would make an offer like this one. That he would want her to be part of his life… it was most likely a choice he would come to regret, of course, should she take him up on it. But it was a choice he had made, nonetheless…

Her heart pounded at the thought of agreeing and learning what, exactly, it entailed to live in freedom under Zuko's rule.

It pounded even harder upon realizing that taking him up on that offer wouldn't truly mean she'd go home, though.

She glanced at Sokka: he appeared to be at a loss over what Zuko had said, but he smiled at her reassuringly, squeezing her hand.

"If that's what you want…" he said. Azula's heart trembled.

"Maybe… I need to think about it," she said, turning towards Zuko. He shrugged.

"Take as long as you need. I need time to think about things too. Like what to do about that little…" Zuko grumbled, fists tightening at the thought of Toph again – it appeared that their romance, if it could even be considered that, would be a rather odd love-hate situation, at best, if it survived its chaotic start at all.

After finishing breakfast, Sokka and Azula went for a walk in the Eastern Air Temple. He held her hand constantly, a change she guessed she might grow used to one day, but for now, she found it to be a surprisingly exciting one still. She intertwined her fingers with his as they finally stopped at a spot where they could see the sky and the sea, in the distance. A white, pale but vivid moon hovered above them, in the daytime. Azula smiled at the sight of it, and Sokka even waved in its direction.

"Hope you're holding up okay, Yue," he said. "Guess you wanted to talk out here so she'd get her say too?"

"Not sure we'd hear her if she tried, but… maybe," Azula said, biting her lip. "Zuko's offer to go back to the Fire Nation…"

"Yeah, uh… I get it," Sokka smiled sadly. "It's the return home you must have always looked forward to. Probably what you imagined might happen if he ever gave you a chance, so…"

"Maybe it is, but…" Azula said, biting her lip before looking up at him. "That doesn't mean I'm ready to make that choice."

"Oh. But… do you want to?" Sokka asked, facing her fully and taking both her hands in his. Azula gritted her teeth.

"I think… I think I need some more time before going back to the Fire Nation," she concluded. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Some things feel… unfinished, somehow. Like I said, I don't think we really fulfilled all of Yue's journey, even if it was meant for me more than her. Like… like going to your hometown?"

"Huh. You expected that to come next, huh?" Sokka smiled a little. Azula shrugged. "I guess I figured she'd find little novelty there, so I never thought much about taking you and Yue to the Southern Water Tribe. It's winter too, it's not as fancy as the north…"

"It's still the place where you were born and raised. I think it's safe to say that the two of us would have loved to see it," Azula smiled. "I still would, if you would ever want to take me. But, well… it's also possible that you don't, I guess."

"No, it's not," Sokka snorted, smirking. "Azula, I'd take you anywhere. I'd go with you wherever you wish to go. There's no question about it."

"Even if that means staying away from the council for a while longer?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka nodded promptly. "So irresponsible of you…"

"I'm incorrigible and I know it," Sokka grinned proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head.

"Still…" she said, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm just thinking that maybe we should fulfill the very last part of our journey eventually. Maybe not right now, it's bound to be the light period in the South Pole still…"

"Yeah, it'll be a few months before it switches back to darkness," Sokka said.

"So, to do things right, I have to go on winter. Proper winter," Azula declared, stubbornly. Sokka chuckled and nodded. "Hence… we have a few months of figuring things out. And, well… I think I'd like to try living with you. Whether as a council member or in the armed forces, I… I want to know if we're actually any good together when Yue's not as present as she was before."

"She may have brought us together… doesn't mean she's the sole reason why we are," Sokka said, cupping her face between his hands. "I love you. I owe Yue plenty for bringing you to me… but whether she's here or not, I love you, Azula. That's not negotiable."

"Heh. No incentive would make you stop?" she asked, with a warm smile, tears prickling in her eyes. "How about an all-you-can-eat meat feast?"

"Not a chance," Sokka smirked. Azula laughed, hands falling on his chest.

"Stop being so easy to love, Sokka. I can't handle it," she said, pressing her face to his neck. Sokka kissed the side of her head gently.

"I'm an absolute pain to love for anyone but you, you know?" Sokka smiled, rocking her in his arms. "Katara's always at her wits' end with me, even if she loves me. Suki would tell you you're setting yourself up for a life of misery…"

"Maybe Suki's the source of the misery, ever thought about that?" Azula asked, cuttingly. Sokka laughed and shook his head.

"I mean, she did become one over time, but…"

"She'll find someone else eventually who makes sense for her. But that she couldn't live with you, that she couldn't love you other than on her terms, is her problem. Doesn't reflect on you, Sokka," Azula reassured him, caressing his chest kindly. Sokka leaned down, pressing his lips to her brow.

"You might think too highly of me…"

"I wouldn't do that. Thinking lowly of you means I can make fun of you far more easily, so clearly, I'd choose that rather than thinking highly…"

Sokka rolled his eyes before silencing her with a kiss. Azula laughed against his lips, knowing she had won that particular non-argument, wrapping her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss heartily. By the time he pulled back, she had a rather surprising revelation to make:

"I have no idea how to live a normal life."

Sokka smiled warmly, pressing his brow to hers.

"I didn't either. Maybe I still don't," he laughed. "I'm not sure the two of us would ever have… well, a mundane, boring life. Feels like even if we're sitting home together, working on puzzle games of some sort, we'd be having way more fun than what regular people do."

"Heh. Even our mundanity would be exciting?" Azula smiled. "That's… promising, actually. I like the sound of that."

"Then…" Sokka grinned. Azula breathed deeply, losing herself in his beautiful eyes.

"I'll go with you. We'll see about whatever my work will be, I don't know, but… I want to try this. You haven't pissed me off irremediably so far, so…" she laughed. Sokka smiled warmly. "Nor have I done that to you, shockingly, even if I certainly tried back in Ba Sing Se…"

"I was just worried about you, and you know it," Sokka said, kissing the tip of her nose. Azula smiled and nodded.

"I do. You make no sense that way," she laughed. "Anyway, I… I just wanted to be sure you'd know where I stand in all of this. It would be okay to go back to the Fire Nation, I suppose, but… I don't really think I want to, just yet."

"Well, I, for one, think that's great news," Sokka smiled, kissing her fully once more.

The difference between his last relationship and this new one couldn't have been more patent: he had damn near begged Suki to leave the Fire Nation, to share a life with him in Republic City, only for that life to wind up going downhill at an alarming rate. Years of pleas had taken a terrible outcome – perhaps Suki had constantly refused because she had known that they might end up as they did, sooner than later. Azula, though… she was choosing to be with him, well above everything else. In all the years of seeking a purpose, of stemming in grudges, of wandering the world feeling that she belonged nowhere, she finally had chosen a place for herself, and it was right at Sokka's side. His heart soared enough to hoist her in his arms, laughing with her as they exchanged more earnest kisses.

"Say…" Azula whispered, still nestled warmly in his arms. Sokka prodded the tip of her nose with his.

"Yeah?"

"I meant it before: I still want to finish the journey," she smiled. "Later, of course, but I'm just saying…"

"I'll take you to the Southern Water Tribe in winter. I promise," Sokka smiled. Azula laughed and nodded.

"Just what I wanted to hear…"

They returned to the others a few hours later, to find that Toph had finally climbed out of bed and appeared perfectly unconcerned by Zuko's distress over their peculiar situation. She refused any responsibility, or any talk about being a royal consort now, something that both Sokka and Aang brought up to tease her. The Fire Lord appeared not to know left from right anymore, hardly sure of whether he wanted to pursue anything real with Toph – a possibility that seemed rather unlikely, considering how unwilling she was to explore a potential long-term relationship with him –, or attempt another reconciliation with Mai somehow, should she ever be willing to be with him again. Clearly, he wouldn't sort that out anytime soon, so by the time the whole group returned to Republic City, in another trip with multiple stops, Zuko still hadn't worked out a solution for his dilemmas.

Their return to the city was far more triumphant than some expected it to be: both Azula and Sokka were caught by surprise upon learning, from Ursa and Bumi, how wide the reach of Aang's bending had been.

"The water around the island… it seemed to want to obliterate this place, maybe," Ursa said, once they were with her inside Air Temple Island's sitting room. "I took Bumi to the highest point and we just prayed for it to stop. The air suddenly grew heavy, and we could barely breathe for almost twenty minutes, but that stopped the storm… and from what I've heard in my ventures into the city, everyone else experienced that too."

"You really bent the entire atmosphere, you crazy guy, you," Sokka said, smiling at his brother-in-law. Aang smiled nervously, shrugging in response to Sokka's apparent pride in him.

"Someone had to do something, I guess," he said.

"And you very much saved our lives with it. Everyone's lives," Ursa smiled kindly at him. "Thank you, Aang."

"Oh. You're welcome!" Aang grinned shyly, scratching the back of his neck. "Doing my Avatar duties!"

"And quite successfully too," Ursa said, nodding sagely.

Toph returned to her city quickly, and it wouldn't be long before Zuko went back to the Fire Nation too… but Ursa wasn't as ready to leave as he was, let alone upon learning of Azula's intent.

"Then… you'll stay? With Sokka?" she asked, a fragile grin on her face.

"I know we meant to travel together, and we still might, one day," Azula said, reassuringly. "But, well… the last stretch of the journey would've been to the South Pole, we thought. In winter, you know? To finish the cycle properly. Won't be winter there for a while, so… I figured I'd stay here, to see if Zuko gives me a decent job to do in Republic City."

"We have two possibilities. Guess we'll see which one pans out," Zuko added. Ursa's eyes widened.

"My… well, that's wonderful to know, even if heartbreaking too," Ursa smiled, turning towards her daughter. Azula eyed her guiltily. "Don't feel bad for me, no, I just… you're growing fast, always have been. I hoped to make up for lost time, but… you have a life to live. I'll come visit, if you'd like! Or you could come visit the Fire Nation too, surely your brother would allow it?"

"Oh? Yeah, well, it's her home too, if she wants it to be," Zuko said, with a shrug. "I know it wasn't for a while, but… I think we're finally past all that."

"Strange for my own brother to trust me this much. I might not get used to it at all, come to think of it," Azula smirked at Zuko, who scoffed mockingly at her.

"I know you like it better when you can piss me off. I have the feeling you'll just leave to recharge energies and then visit when you've gone too long without messing with me," he said. Azula laughed.

"A sound concept. I might just make that happen indeed," she beamed. Despite himself, Zuko chuckled.

"Well… for what it's worth, good luck living in Republic City. Don't let Sokka slack off too much, whether at work or at home…"

"Hey!" Sokka pouted.

"And… have fun, I guess?" he said. "I'll arrange whatever paperwork's needed for this. Your pardon's guaranteed, I'll make sure to settle it as soon as I return. And, uh, if you need anything…"

"I'll make sure to reach out, but hopefully it will be fine," Azula said. Zuko nodded.

"Then… good luck, and see you soon, I guess," he said, with a small smile.

Ursa cleared her throat meaningfully. Zuko grimaced as he looked at her, recognizing her intent. Azula did, too. She stifled her laughter, waiting to see just how effective the motherly pressure would turn out to be…

And naturally, Ursa won. Zuko groaned, blushing as he stepped forward to hug his laughing sister. Ursa beamed proudly at the result, and Sokka couldn't hold back his own laughter either as he watched them.

Within two more days, most of which Sokka and Azula spent resting in Air Temple Island, much like Aang did, the pair sailed across the stretch of the sea between the island and the booming, growing Republic City. It hardly impressed Azula at first, it wasn't much of a city just yet, but she followed Sokka as he showed her the general layout of the place before taking her shopping, a notion that caught her by surprise, most of all due to how giddy her lover was over that prospect.

Loaded with new clothes and food supplies, they finally reached Sokka's apartment by evening.

"Well? What do you think?" Sokka smiled awkwardly, setting down the heavy bags he had been carrying.

Azula's eyes traveled over the kitchen, adjacent to the dining room. The walls were mostly bare, there were piles of clothes scattered in a few places – and Sokka promptly rushed to pick them up, explaining that his carelessness wasn't a constant thing, absolutely not! – and there wasn't enough furniture in the place just yet. Not enough bookshelves, not enough chairs, only cushions to sit at a small table…

And a balcony. Sokka smiled as he showed it to her, and Azula stepped outside with wide eyes to watch the grand horizon that spread ahead. The sea looked rather beautiful… and it reflected the moon vividly as twilight settled upon the world. She smiled at the reflection of the moon upon the waves, and she raised a hand as a greeting at Yue.

"That's a good view," Azula said. "And that place might deserve the name of Full-Moon Bay far more than the one that actually took it…"

"Pretty sure they called the original Full-Moon Bay that way because it was round like the full moon…" Sokka said. Azula scoffed.

"Well, the moon looks better from here. I'm sure it does," she said, leaning against his flank and sighing in relief. "I've never lived like this, you know?"

"Well, it's not as crazy as being on the road, traveling around on a hot-air balloon, dangling off a rope underneath a bridge…"

"Ah, good times."

"But it'll be a home anyway," Sokka smiled, nudging her gently. Azula smiled back, gazing up at him. "Then? Do you like it, or…? I swear I'll be tidy, way more than you imagine! You can scold me for it when I mess up too, I promise I won't whine too much about it…"

"But that's the point of scolding you. It's funny when you whine," Azula smirked. Sokka laughed, pressing his brow to hers. "This place… it suits you perfectly."

"It does?" Sokka asked, happily surprised.

"It's, uh… how do I put it?" Azula said, biting her lip, failing to contain a smirk. Sokka's excitement dwindled and he offered her a deadpan glare instead. "A work-in-progress, perhaps?"

"Isn't that one of the names I suggested for our group…? Hey! W-well…! Sure it's one! But we're all works-in-progress in life, like it or not!" he exclaimed, tickling her vindictively. Azula tried to squirm out of his grasp, but she failed.

Before she knew it, his wicked attack had resulted in them returning inside, and she had landed atop the cushions and pillows on the floor, laughing as his hands mischievously danced over her flanks. There seemed to be no escape from Sokka right now, tickles were such a weakness of hers…

But perhaps she could redirect that energy of his to more favorable pursuits.

Instead of yanking his hands off her body, she dragged them up until his fingers stopped nudging upon falling over her breasts. Sokka's intent fizzled out quickly by then, more so as Azula slid her legs between his.

"U-uh… what are we doing?" Sokka smiled awkwardly. Azula bit her lip, closing her eyes as she compelled him to grope her some more. "I did not expect this kind of generosity over a tickle battle… I have the feeling you're about to kick me in the nuts when I lower my guard."

"Then don't lower it… but I'll lower mine," Azula smiled. "We can do it right here, right now. No one's going to stop us. Nothing can get in the way. It's your place, after all… the only thing you need to do is close the drapes. So…?"

She glanced back at him, that devious smirk across her tempting lips. Sokka's throat dried as he jumped out of the cushions, racing towards all the windows to ensure he had covered them all. Azula, still lying where she did, used her bending to light up the candles and house lamps Sokka kept within his home. By the time he returned, she lay with one leg flexed up, her hands over her hair, and a wicked, meaningful smirk on her face. While the effect she had on his body was usually quite quick to present itself, Sokka was even lightheaded this time at the sight of his lover's mischievous attempt to seduce him.

"If this is what your revenge after tickle fights looks like… I could stand to tickle you some more," Sokka smiled a little. Azula laughed.

"Let's just say… this is how I feel about this place," she whispered. "I see nothing but potential and chances to make this life… ours. So, I may just be generous now because I want you to make me yours as well and… you'd best make the most of that generosity while it lasts, don't you think?"

Sokka laughed, shaking his head before diving in, dropping atop the Princess and kissing her relentlessly. She moaned, wrapping her arms and legs around his body, encouraging him to go further, to make her very first day in their new home as memorable as could be.

It seemed that clothing piles would wind up being a common matter for the pair, for their clothes flew all over the apartment as they stripped each other bare. Their lustful embrace never failed to bring smiles to their faces, thrilled to share a passionate evening where their lips ever found purchase on each other, where their hearts raced as the excitement increased, where they peaked together or apart by mere moments, where it seemed as though no spot in the apartment was off-limits for the wild trysts they wanted to have.

Again, they wound up in the warm tub after far more rounds of sex than they would keep track of, lips locked frequently with deep kisses, hands touching each other freely, everywhere they cared to reach.

"Just… for the sake of boosting my ego?" Azula smiled, prodding Sokka's nose with hers. "Was your first day with Suki in this place anything like this?"

Sokka snorted before laughing off the concept completely. Azula smiled wickedly as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Very clearly… no," he laughed. "I had more warning, I was tidier than I was this time… but hey, we just made a mess and threw our clothes around all over the place, so you're messy too!"

"Who said I couldn't be?" Azula smiled, floating in the tub so she could sit fully on his lap. "I had servants to pick up after me long ago, remember? And after that, I lived as a wanted criminal. This is very new to me, altogether. Maybe I'll become a fiend of order and cleanliness in due time, but for now… I might just enjoy being a mess with you."

"If this is the mess we're going to be, we're definitely winning in life," he smiled, pressing his lips over her collarbone and shoulders. "You're so beautiful…"

She smiled upon hearing that word: Yue had claimed as much too, and Azula had dismissed the notion, ridiculing the Moon Spirit for praising her at all. Strange to find herself far more willing to hear praises now than she had been in years… most of all, by knowing that none of what Sokka would dare say to her would be a lie. His longing for her, the way he couldn't keep his hands off her, his lips trailing across her face over and over, as though there were nothing about her, not a single thing, that didn't please him…

Her arms locked around his neck and she caught his lips in hers, her chest pressed fully against him. The cold evening breeze encouraged her to heat up the tub further with her bending, and Sokka smiled with delight at the sensation as he covered her body with more eager kisses.

It was a grand start to their life together, one that resulted in them resting sloppily and carelessly in Sokka's futon after they'd spent their energy and unleashed even more of the tension they hadn't been able to work out so far. Starting a relationship in the middle of chaotic circumstances might not have been the wisest of choices, but they certainly made up for it now, blissfully indulging in their privacy and every opportunity to make their time together count.

After a couple of days, Sokka finally built up enough resolve to attend the council for the first time in many months. He was welcomed eagerly, and the Fire Nation representative couldn't seem to stop bowing reverently at Azula, who was quite perplexed by his reaction – strange for Zuko to have hired someone who appeared to be an Ozai loyalist for a role like this one… but perhaps he was simply of the sorts who were extremely loyal to monarchy, regardless of whichever member he was facing.

The man indeed was ready to retire: while Azula didn't know if it would be the right choice in the long run, she chose the job as his replacement rather than in the armed forces. It should have been odd to feel a stronger pull towards civil service, towards politics, than the warfare she had been trained for all her life… but that, perhaps, was the reason to do it. Yue had never been a militaristic person, quite clearly… perhaps it was time for Azula to experience firsthand the value of that kind of leadership, bereft of aggression and forcefulness, steeped in thoughtfulness and service instead.

With that, their first shared winter, in this case, in the northern hemisphere, began smoothly. The snowfall was beautiful once it started, a few weeks into the season, and while Azula didn't particularly enjoy the cold, Sokka's ways to keep her warm sufficed to convince her that there were advantages to that kind of weather too. They worked together to build up their apartment, filling it with more furniture they usually chose together, and Sokka made a point of buying quite a few mirrors too, no longer to see to it that Azula could communicate with Yue, but with the hopes that one day she'd be as ready to see herself as beautiful as she was. It was a work-in-progress for the Princess indeed, but watching her reflection grew less distressing as time went by, as she learned to inhabit her new role in the world she had chosen to privilege above any other kind of life.

Republic City also grew and developed further, and they were at the head of settling the challenges that saw to that development: new people drifted towards the grand location that promised change and social progress, better lives for so many who had suffered no end of grievances after the war. The small Cranefish Town hardly seemed to be remembered anymore as it grew quickly, promising to become something so much greater than anyone had imagined possible, let alone in such a short timespan. While Azula didn't handle dealings with other nations, particularly with the Earth Kingdom, she took care of local matters instead, proposing numerous solutions to quicken the pace in which new constructions were being erected, allowing way for more people to move to Republic City if they wished to do so. Sokka was particularly stoked about approving permits for new inventors, for great advancements to finally become the norm… Azula had teased him about it, asking if he wanted to be among the inventors rather than the people enabling them, but Sokka appeared to be far too thrilled to work with her to want a change of jobs anytime soon.

Just as he had predicted, their mundanity was blissful. As the seasons changed, they continued to bask in a life they had made their own, a home they had shaped into a place that belonged to the two of them, and their love only appeared to strengthen as each day passed. Their occasional visits to Air Temple Island resulted in further closeness with Aang and Katara that Azula had never anticipated she'd experience, much like Toph's invitations for late-night drinking in town easily confirmed her place as Azula's second favorite person in Team Avatar, second only to Sokka himself.

By the time summer was coming around, they had been living together for as good as six months. A visit to the Fire Nation, where they checked on Zuko and Ursa, and Azula actually got to meet Ursa's new family properly – Kiyi appeared to admire her, as she was growing a rebellious streak, in which she constantly butted heads with her mother –, preceded the last stage of a journey they had long needed to complete…

Hakoda stood at the new Southern Water Tribe port, arms folded over his chest as his son and his girlfriend disembarked from the ship that had brought them to the South Pole. Azula was clad in a thick crimson parka, but even that didn't suffice to keep her warm when the cold was starting to rise well beyond the levels she was comfortable with…

"I think it's colder down here than in the North Pole," Azula said. Sokka smiled, an arm around her waist.

"You just think so because you were in the Fire Nation only a few days ago and it's crazy hot over there. Nothing more to it…"

"Yeah, sure, nothing more to it…" Azula mumbled, her breath white before her eyes.

She raised her eyes towards the man standing at the end of that pier, nervousness rising inside her gut as Sokka guided her towards him. While he appeared quite stern at first, the man who offered her a most intriguing mirror to who Sokka might become, given thirty more years, smiled at his son before long.

"It's been way too long, Sokka," he said. Sokka chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Azula's head before releasing her from his grip and stepping forward to hug his father tightly.

Azula watched them, nervous and uneasy as Hakoda clapped Sokka's back firmly. He pulled back then, turning a curious and even mischievous smirk upon her.

"And this… is the big surprise you'll have to explain quite thoroughly, my boy," he said. "I know things between you and Suki didn't look very promising anymore, but… that's a change."

"It is. For the better, too," Sokka grinned, taking Azula's hand. "Azula, this is my dad. As, uh, you might recall…"

"I do," Azula said, with a nervous smile. "I, uh… I'm grateful that you received us like this. Thank you."

"Why, it's no matter," Hakoda said. "Though I admit, of all people, I didn't think you'd be the type to get involved with Sokka…"

"Are you saying she's out of my league?!" Sokka squeaked. Azula laughed, and Hakoda scoffed at him.

"I'm pretty sure he's saying you're out of mine," Azula said: Sokka yelped, looking at her in horror.

"That's…! Not possible! You're not saying that, are you?!" Sokka exclaimed. Hakoda blinked blankly.

"Well. She's certainly brought your goofier side back to the fore. Can't say that's a bad thing," Hakoda grinned, glancing at her again.

"I know there's things that… well, you might need to hear from me," Azula said, her stomach twisting, her heart clenching. "We all know I wasn't exactly the best version of myself I could be for a long time. But…"

"But you're trying to live a different life now," Hakoda said. "You've been doing that for the better part of half a year, isn't that right, Sokka?"

"Longer than that," Sokka smiled, still holding Azula's hand firmly. "We went on a very strange journey, as you already know, I told you on my letters…"

"And I understood very little of what you meant by any of it, so you'll have to explain again now," Hakoda smiled, jerking his head towards the town. "Shall we?"

Azula sighed in relief: it wasn't as though he had welcomed her into his life with a bear hug, but she didn't quite need that anyway. Knowing she wasn't unwelcome, or that she might ruin Sokka's connection with his family solely for being involved with him, relieved her greatly.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm fully around her shoulders before leading her to follow his father.

After a whole day spent explaining their journey to Hakoda, who seemed to be utterly enthralled by their story, to the point of even wiping a tear at the retelling of how they parted ways with Yue, the next few were a matter of sightseeing around the Tribe for Azula. Hakoda's initial distance faded quickly, most of all as he laughed at her jabs and puns, every wicked joke that crossed her mind appeared to sit quite well with him and his son. She truly had a place in this world, and she thrived in having found it with the man who held her hand everywhere they might go in the South Pole.

Sokka showed her the places of his childhood memories, where he had first tried to build an igloo only for it to collapse atop him, where he had built a watch tower that Zuko had unceremoniously destroyed with his ship, introducing her to the now-grown children he had been supposed to train long ago, and who did whatever they cared to, instead… he had a wonderful, beautiful life, but his smiles were at their brightest when he shined them upon her. Azula's heart couldn't seem to stop pounding in joy with every new activity she joined in the Tribe, including a late cookout at the central fireplace, where the growing population of the Southern Water Tribe gathered to make all sorts of meals that, while initially unappealing to the Princess, she grew to enjoy in due time.

She didn't quite know for how long they would stay, crashing in Hakoda's place, in Sokka's room. His childhood room certainly was small and cozy, and the few toys that had survived his youth sat in a corner, some worn and with faded colors, some in better shape. There was an awkward factor to their intimacy while they resided there, of all places, for Hakoda was in the next room… but as unreasonable and reckless as they might be, they dared indulge in lovemaking a few times nonetheless, kissing constantly in the hopes of being as quiet as could be, so Hakoda might not be disturbed by whatever noises they made… not that it served much purpose, for his knowing smirks the next morning had Azula hiding her blushing face behind her hand while Sokka smiled guiltily, trying to fend off his father's teasing to imply he had enough knowledge of what had happened between them at night.

Still, there was one more thing they had left to do. One thing Sokka had planned for extensively, and that he executed once he was sure they were ready, when they were already deeper into winter…

"Okay, okay, that was… that was enough weird excitement for me," Azula laughed: the otter-penguin they had been riding together, the largest of the bunch, skittered away from them after their wild sledding reached a halt in the depths of the South Pole. "You sure you know your way back to the Tribe from here?"

"Totally," Sokka chuckled, holding her close as he watched the penguin slide away. "So? Promise to Yue fulfilled?"

"She did say we had to go penguin sledding… and now we have. It was fun, but strange. I've ridden quite a few beasts in my life, but I never imagined otter-penguins would join that list," Azula admitted, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smirked.

"You've had plenty of practice riding in recent times, if not in that way…"

"Could you stop being such a perv for ten minutes?" Azula hissed, no matter how amused she was by his words. Sokka cackled.

"I did stop! That ride was like ten minutes, or something!" he said. Azula rolled her eyes, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around him…

Just so, she noticed she could see Sokka more clearly than usual now, even though she didn't have a lantern at hand, nor was she bending. Sokka smirked and nudged her, turning her in his arms so she would have her back to him… allowing her eyes to feast upon a glorious sight.

"That's…" Azula gasped, watching the lights dancing in the sky with amazement.

"I had the feeling that you'd like to see it," Sokka grinned, nudging her gently. "We just had to go a bit deeper into the Pole for that."

The aurora before them glowed brightly, shifting slowly so that it never retained the same shape for too long. Streaks of color spread out all around. It was mostly green, but specks of other hues could surge from the cosmic occurrence all the same…

"And hey… we're not the only ones watching."

Sokka wrapped his arms around Azula before pointing out a white, bright light, towards the north. Azula smiled warmly at the sight of it, as she ever did these days.

"See? We brought you to see the Southern Lights. We're not such jerks even when you're not around to tell us exactly what you want to see, are we?" Azula said. "Hope you're enjoying the show, Yue."

"I'm sure she is," Sokka smiled, his face buried in her neck. "Most of all… because she wanted all of this for you. She must have hoped you could experience our kinds of winter this way… though, you didn't get to see the lights in the north, did you?"

"No, I was far too busy avoiding capture to pay much attention, to be honest. But I like the southern ones," Azula said, glancing at him over her shoulder. Sokka grinned warmly at her. "Maybe because we're seeing them together. I kind of wonder if she could just… take shape in the lights of the aurora, somehow. Would be nice, seeing her again…"

"It would be," Sokka agreed. "But at least we know she's shining as brightly as ever up there…"

"She'd better not stop. I have too much pending paperwork in Republic City to worry about having to go beat up some other douchebag spirit hellbent on consuming her or kidnapping her," she said.

"Eh, she knows you'd leave the paperwork to help her, you're not fooling anyone with that claim…"

"Well, if she does know that, she'd better also know that I'd spend the whole time complaining about the things she makes me do while we help her, anyhow," Azula stated, haughtily. Sokka laughed, kissing her cheek.

"You're always adorable," he said, proudly. Azula bit her lip and smiled.

"You're asking for it now. Adorable, me? Always? Screw that," she said. Sokka chuckled, fingers tickling her heavily covered flanks lightly. "Sokka…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not asking for anything crazy, I just wanted to mess with you," he said: too often he had taken advantage of her ticklishness across their time together, and more often than not, it resulted in sex. It definitely wasn't the right place or time for that… though it might be the place and time for something else instead.

Sokka swallowed hard as he felt the weight in his pocket. He had to go for it. This was what he'd wanted to do all along, after all. He raised his gaze towards the moon, smiling kindly at her, wordlessly offering Yue his gratitude for everything she had done for them… for helping him find peace with her circumstances as he also learned how to live his life freely, with someone he loved…

Someone he hoped he'd be able to love forever.

After six months of the most successful, stable living circumstances they had ever experienced, the next step forward was as good as a given. He just had to take it.

He released Azula briefly, a hand slipping in his pocket…

"Marry me."

Sokka froze.

Azula's voice had trembled slightly when she spoke the words, but she rested against his chest without fear. Her arms were folded over her torso, as though protecting herself if she wound up hurt after this… but she held herself in place without cowering. Without taking back her words.

"Azula…" Sokka said. Azula glanced at him with uncertainty.

"I guess… I've been thinking about it a lot. I was waiting to see how this turned out, the last bit of our trip?" she said, biting her lip. "I've been delighted through it, too. So… maybe I'm rushing. If I am, that's fine. I just… guess now you know where I'm standing, at least."

Sokka snorted, shaking his head as he released her from his grip. Azula turned towards him, unsure of what he found so funny of her words…

Until he pulled out his gloved hand from his pocket, revealing a pristine necklace of black velvet, and a blue pendant with an engraved symbol on it: she thought she recognized it as the moon and the sun.

"Oh, well, maybe I should show you the other side instead…"

He flipped the pendant to reveal water and fire, too.

Her eyes widened. Sokka snickered, running a hand over his hair.

"I kind of maybe had planned on doing this just now, and you beat me to it by like… I don't know. Three seconds? Why're you always competing with me even when it comes to proposing marriage to each other, huh?"

Azula snorted, covering her mouth with her own gloved hands as she laughed at Sokka's amused smirk. He held the necklace in plain sight for her to admire still, and the surreal situation couldn't seem to stop Azula's laughter. Sokka chuckled too, shaking his head as he stepped forward, wrapping the choker gently around Azula's neck. By the time she stopped laughing quite so hard, there were tears of sincere emotion blinking in her eyes.

"I figured I'd have to wait for your answer, but… guess the ball's in my court instead, since you talked first," he smiled kindly, cupping her face. "And my answer is… hell yes, I'll marry you."

Azula laughed again at his sincere, blunt answer. Sokka grinned wildly before wrapping her tightly in his arms, kissing her fully underneath the glow of the aurora, underneath the moonlight too. Azula's heart pounded fast, the blood rushing through her system as she indulged in the bliss of knowing her love, her needs, her hopes and aspirations, entirely fulfilled by the man she loved.

The future ahead was brimming with potential, most of all when their love would continue to grow and thrive as it had so far. Perhaps there would be children in their future, perhaps there would be none – perhaps pets, instead, or nothing at all. Perhaps they would remain in Republic City forever, or they might even move to the Fire Nation or the Southern Water Tribe, in due time… but the horizon brought countless possibilities, and it would be up to them to seize them at their leisure, to continue thriving in the life they had built together, in the triumphs and victories that had brought them to a day as beautiful as the one they had just shared, and the many more that lay in store in the years to come…

But there was one thing Azula wanted to do. One last wish, one final way to fully silence Oblivion, to ensure the worst of his cruelties towards Yue would never be realized…

To the people of Republic City, it was but another ceremony, like many others, held to commemorate events and heroes of the war that people had heard no end of stories about. To the people of the rest of the world, it was a rather confusing situation, most of all because Councilwoman Azula was the one to push the initiative forward.

But as the day arrived, she stood with her husband proudly, three years after their marriage had been official and made known to the world. Sokka's public speaking skills had improved far more than he wanted to accept they had, ever nervous upon addressing a large crowd, but it was easier for him that day as he finished explaining the event taking place by Republic City's port.

"As has been requested and approved by Republic City's council, Councilwoman Azula's proposal to honor the heroic sacrifice of Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, is hereby approved!"

A loud cheer rushed through the audience. Azula smiled, standing with the other members of the council behind Sokka by a tall statue covered by a cloth, in the middle of the bay. Sokka turned towards her, smiling kindly and nodding in her direction. Azula stepped forward to the microphone Sokka had been speaking into, trying to ignore the nerves and anxiety… there was no hostility from the crowd today. There had been less and less of it the longer she served as the council's Fire Nation representative. She clasped Sokka's hand gently, and he grinned and encouraged her to finish the ceremony herself.

The other council members held the ropes that kept the statue covered. The Northern Water Tribe's representative appeared most eager to pull at his own, eyes aglow with pride. Azula's eyes trailed over the audience, finding the delegation of the Northern Water Tribe, including the proud Chief Arnook, whose eyes glistened with tears, looked forward to this grand moment just as well.

"From this day onwards… Republic City's Bay shall be officially known as Yue Bay!" Azula declared: the cheers rushed through the audience even more loudly than before. "May our city, and our world, ensure to always remember the brave Princess who saved us all!"

Azula's words were accompanied by the unveiling of the white statue, to match the color of the moon: Azula herself had commissioned and seen to the accurate depiction of the young princess, as faithful to her features as possible. That was the face of the girl she owed so much to, even if Yue believed she had long repaid her debts. Seeing her once more, even if in the shape of a statue, brought a tender smile to Azula's face. Yue had truly changed Azula's world… the shadows in her reflection had long receded, chased away by a proud Sokka, who hoisted her fully into his arms, lifting her in the air in a celebratory gesture, and those shadows had relinquished their grip on Yue just as much as they had let go of Azula, too.

The crowd continued to rejoice in the unveiling of the pristine, marble statue, of the beautiful girl who had taken the Moon Spirit's place so long ago. Her story had hardly been known before… but it would be, from now on. Sokka's pain and grief for her sake had finally been channeled into growth, into new strength, into the confidence he had long failed to truly experience… much as Azula's strife, and her aimless life, no longer controlled her, no more than Oblivion could ever control Yue anew.

From a distance, a world away as she might be, Yue didn't feel as far away from them as she most likely was… for merely gazing up at the moon offered a mirage of a beautiful girl in a flowing dress, her white hair dancing in the wind, smiling kindly and gratefully as her greatest act of love for the world was commemorated in the thoughtful gesture that served as an antidote to oblivion indeed.

Mischievously, Sokka teased Azula about making a statue for her next, a notion she laughed off at once, even as she rested comfortably against him. She had meant to see this project completed for years, for the seed of it had been planted when she had arrived in Republic City, once she had seen that moon reflected upon the waves so beautifully: her bond with Yue would never go forgotten, no matter if the Moon Spirit never manifested herself physically before them again. For perhaps she wouldn't… but that would be fine, too. Even if that was the case, she continued to shine with the grand strength she ever displayed after they had parted ways in that spiritual dimension…

Their bonds would never break, and today's celebration was but a testament to the truth they had learned long ago, in the midst of their great journey: three lonely souls had broken their solitude's spell for good, for upon finding each other, they had also found the truest freedom.

A/N:

Hope you guys enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun working on this story, it's my first genuine Azula redemption based on where canon left her off, instead of AUs or just a wholly different story that diverges so much from canon that her development doesn't really fit into the kinds of redemption people look for in stories about Azula. Anyway! Point is it was an ambitious story in some regards, but I'd think I managed to convey several things properly across these 8 chapters, and whatever I failed at, I hope to improve it in any future stories I may write along these lines. Thanks for reading! Happy Sokkla Saturdays, everyone!

[diseaseriddencube]

HE HAS A SPLIT TONGUE ???? 🥺🥺🥺

[dirt-str1der]

Whatever kiryu does to you might not always be the best or even safest option but he will always do it with a lot of love in his eyes so you have to forgive him

[pinknipszz]

heian era sukuna x reader →

(a/n: loosely inspired by that one jessica rabbit scene; this is also borderline uraume/reader bc theyre so cute ugh)

people don’t understand how you can love the king of curses. his figure was grotesque—beyond repulsive—with four heavy hands that could snap your limbs into two if he so pleased. they can’t get past the four eyes either, but you found them charming. how could you not when he looked at you so sweetly? 

“where is my husband?” you inquire for the nth time, your voice as sweet as molasses as you tug at the ends of uraume’s sleeves. the humble servant doesn’t answer immediately; they know not to, and you don’t mind. while you wait, you watch the passerines tease the fish in the pond from your spot on the engawa.

uraume dips their elegant fude into the shallow inkstone beside you. calligraphy and whatnot. “lord sukuna is tending to matters in the southern provinces,” they answer with the same amount of patience they had a few minutes ago, and an hour before, and another before that. they must be used to it now.

“do you think he misses me?” comes a light brush against their pale hand. uraume exhales through their nose at your question, but not from exasperation. never that. “yes,” they say with utmost sincerity, like it’s gospel truth, before painting one long, flourishing stroke. “very much so.”

content, you cease your ministrations and fall on your back, giggling at the way your hair splays beneath your head. “he loves me,” you coo and cup your sun-kissed cheeks. “my husband loves me, and i love him too.” you think the edge of their lips twitch up into the barest hint of a smile.

but it vanishes before you can get a proper glimpse. sighing, uraume gives you a knowing look from the corner of their eye as they dip their fude back into the inkstone. you turn to lay on your side and watch how it absorbs the ink. “the servants, though adequate, have been quite bothersome lately.”

they finish the kanji in several swift strokes. 麗. rei for beauty. uraume continues. “there’s ill speak of your relationship with lord sukuna.” you count the passerines, letting the unspoken question hang in the air. shall i do something about it? it’s uraume’s turn to wait patiently for an answer, an ultimatum.

but you don’t give one so easily, preoccupied with an image that resurfaces in your mind: a group of servants—fresh off the cut and eager-eyed—gossiping by the water well. you don’t think they saw you, unless they were stupider than you thought, but they were loud enough to hear.

uraume is watching you, properly now, as you blow a stray strand of hair from your face. when they lean in to gently tuck it behind your ear, persimmons and plums permeate your senses. “do not bother with them. they talk because they do not understand why i love him,” you decide with finality.

“and why do you love him?” there’s a hint of fondness in their voice, reserved for you.

you look up through your delicate lashes, smiling cheekily. “he makes me laugh.”

(masterlist) | (a/n: would yall hate me if I wrote uraume/reader's pls be honest)

[forgwater]

"Ah, yes. Me, my beloved Prefect and my lookalike tsum from another dimension."

Twst Boys and their reactions to you cuddling their tsum instead of them Headcanons

part 3 part 2 part 1

Deuce Spade

He's exasperated.

Ace has already been making fun of him and how you seem to prefer the plush and how his tsum is completely whipped. just like the real Deuce.

He's at a complete loss.

Has no idea what to do.

He's staring holes into his tsum.

He's flustered, but also annoyed.

You look so cute! And you're holding his lookalike! What is he supposed to do in this situation?!?! He wants cuddles too!

Physical fighting is not an option here!

He tries bargaining with his tsum when he thinks you're asleep.

You hear his attempts.

Deuce is mortified.

Azul Ashengrotto

He's flattered that you like his tsum that much.

He's not happy to see you lavishing all of you attention and affection on it though.

He must move fast before it is too late.

Azul tries being civil at first.

Attempts to talk you into letting go of his lookalike and hugging him instead.

He'll start listing pros and cons in his attempt.

If none of this works, then he just tries to rip the plush out of your arms when you least expect it.

He really hoped it would not come to this.

His tsum is not letting go.

Azul is very much not happy about this.

Jade Leech

Ah, Prefect don't you look just so adorable holding his tsum in such a tight embrace.

He'll play nice this time and share with his tsum.

Only for tonight.

You are far endearing to disturb.

But, that's enough of that. He needs his cuddles too.

Jade tries to hug you, ignoring his bean version until it does the unthinkable.

It slaps his hand away.

He's stunned.

Then, right after that, Jade starts planning his own tsums murder.

How unfortunate.

He really did like the little critter.

Well, he's got new feelings about it now.

So, how should he start his revenge on that plush?

Kalim Al Asim

He's trilled!

Why would he be upset about you loving his lookalike just as much as you love him?

This calls for a pajama party!

When you finally go to sleep at Jamils exasperated insistence, you more or less get sandwiched between Kalim and his tsum.

How cute!

Unfortunately, both of them tend to cling to you in their sleep.

There's a lot of moving around.

Kalim ends up falling of the bed.

Rook Hunt

Ah! Beauté! 100 points!

How could this hunter of love not appreciate the scene right before his eyes?!

Your adorable visage, partially obscured by his own tsum that you hold so dearly in your arms.

Really, he couldn't have asked for a better!

The only problem this heartwarming scene is the empty spot in his arms.

He also attempts to play nice and hug you as you are hugging his tsum.

Rook tsum makes a quick more to thwart his human counterpart.

Ah. So this is a challenge.

Throughout the night Rook attempts to remove his lookalike plush from your grasp.

They are locked in a quiet battle for your affection.

Lilia Vanrouge

Awwwww!!! How adorable! Lilia will allow his tsum to get some cuddles from you.

But as cute as his tsum is, he is just as cute if not more.

Do let go of the tsum and hug him instead, would you?

When you make the executive decision that the tsum will sleep with you, he's... fine with it.

But only as long as he gets cuddles as well.

He's too old and mature for jealousy. (he says, like a liar)

Lilia attempts to hug you, but his tsum keeps getting in the way, moving in such ways that will not allow the bat fae to get his hands on you.

Lilia's not too fond of this.

You wake up in the middle of the night to Lilia locked in a deadly stare of with his plush lookalike.

His lips are moving.

He's whispering threats to the tsum.

The tsum does not seem bothered.

[shitpostingkats]

An Asexual's love letter to Good Omens 2

There's an infamous quote by Neil Gaiman going around, regarding the general vibe of season 2, and many people (I believe humorously) yelling that it could not be further from the truth. Particularly in the last episode, where that happens.

I disagree.

The final episode of season 2 was deeply, deeply comforting to me. 

I am asexual. Have been my whole life. Even before I had the words to describe what that was, child-me had this feeling in their gut of being an outlier, that everyone was exaggerating, or in on some joke, that I wasn’t privy to. Because I was bombarded on all sides by shows and movies and books, telling the same story of love, again, and again, and AGAIN. It’s drilled into our brains with the same fervor as the days of the week, or the quadratic formula. Meet-cute -> misunderstanding ->declaration of feelings ->kiss. More or less steps can be added to account for runtime or complexity of narrative, but that’s the basic structure that a relationship follows. It MUST be, because that’s the formula every character who's ever been in a story goes through, often times when it even feels like an add-on, like it’s only there because this is a story, there HAS to be a romance. And it has to follow the steps.

For a long time, I felt love wasn’t for me, because if there’s only one way to be in love, I sure as hell wasn’t feeling it. 

Instead, the relationship I ended up in looked a lot like what Beezlebub and Gabriel go through. Meeting someone routinely until it starts to feel comfortable. Getting to know them and slowly growing more attached. Eating chips and listening to music.

We like to joke whenever someone asks us how long we’ve been together, because the answer is we just sort of slowly fell into it, and we honestly don’t know when the line got blurred between ‘friends’ and ‘partners’. And, at least for me, a good deal of that confusion, that hesitancy to label, came from the fact that what I was feeling, what we were, couldn’t be love. It couldn’t be romantic. 

We were just quiet and gentle.

And that wasn’t love.

Because it was slow, because it wasn’t physical, because there was no structure aside from consistency and companionship. Because it didn’t follow the Rules.

Then I found myself in stories, and it felt like a revelation.

Beelzebub and Gabriel aren’t the first time I’ve seen a love like I feel represented in a narrative, but it never stops feeling special. And I don’t know if I’ll ever stop celebrating it.

Throughout the sequence in the pub, I kept expecting them to “confirm” Gabriel and Beelzebub. A dramatic line, a kiss, a whatever. That’s what I’ve been taught to expect, after all, that’s the only way a relationship is “real”. Of course, this doesn't mean Crowley and Aziraphale sharing a dramatic kiss is wrong, or that I can’t see why it resonated with so many people, but for me. Those moments in the pub are worth so much more.The last scene might have been literally showstopping, but those handful of moments between the duke of hell and an archangel were the beating heart of the season for me. A simple love story in four scenes. No kisses. No ‘I love you’s. Not even any definition of what. The love Gabriel and Beelzebub have is strong enough for them to both want to shatter their worlds and flee their lives and it's just. 

It's just that. 

Two people in a pub, playing the other's favorite song, giving a little gift, buying a packet of crisps. 

That sequence means far more to me than any kiss ever could.

Love isn’t only real when it's hot and sudden and ephemeral, it can also be

Quiet.

And gentle.

And still romantic.

Still real.

[moonit3]

THE CUTE GUY WITH GLASSES!

➥ warnings/notices: yandere stuff, nsfw, m! masturbation, obsession, reader is gender neutral and is referred by you pronouns, first time writing smut, a little too short (sorry).

➥ yandere! nerd x gn! reader

➥ synopsis: simply because you smiled at him, you’ve gain his heart and attention, now he won’t let you go away.

➥ a/n: first time writing for tumblr and also first time writing smut! quite excited with this one and hopes this reach people who enjoy yandere content （＾ω＾）and of course, beware of the warnings too!

the emptiness feeling inside his heart is more to question if he truly deserves to live in a world where most people are already with their beloved ones. his parents always spoken of love like it’s a magical moment in everyone’s lives, but why hasn’t he experienced it? is something wrong with him?

that question is going through his brain for the past week, and when he was almost ready to give up and preparing himself to spend the rest of his life alone, a special person entered his life, you. a lovely soul who not only is popular in the campus for both looks and charismatic personality, but the very same one who stolen his breath away just because you smiled at him.

“you are max, right?”

“y-yeah, that’s me!”

and you even know his name! mostly people just call him ‘the glass dude’, but you put extra effort to remind it. seeing how you giggled with his nervousness when he asked if you were willing to go to a nearby cafe with him before classes and when you said yes, his heart almost exploded!

our first date! max thought as he admire you drinking your favorite drink and explaining about the recently subjects you are having. of course, being considerate smart, he offered to tutor you after classes in a couple of days without nothing in return, what a lucky person you are to have someone like him~

once the day arrives, you invite max to your dorm (which you share by yourself since your previous roommate moved out), so it’s just the two of you and he can’t be more happier. with every subject he helps you, he can feel you getting closer and closer to see the details on his notebooks. luckily you can’t notice how his member is getting hard with him feeling your thigh next to his and how easily he can see that you lack a vest/bra underneath your shirt.

his mind can’t help but imagine how gorgeous you must be without any clothes on, maybe a couple of beauty marks all over or scars that tell untold stories? that’s don’t really matter as max knows it only makes you even special, yet he can’t stop thinking of the possibility of spending the night with you.

would you scream until you are completely overstimulated? or whimper with his fingers doing pleasure between your legs? the thoughts of it are plaguing his mind as he left your dorm when the tutoring session is over and once he gets to his place, an apartment that he lives on his own, max couldn’t stop touching himself.

—

his lewd whimpering are flying across his bedroom and he isn’t even trying to hold it back with both hands going up and down on his cock, trying to pleasure himself with the many fantasies of [name].

“ah~” a sloppy handjob is the only thing that is helping max to keep himself sane as he imagines his beloved being the one touching him, a scene that is easily imaginable. them, sitting next to his body and teasing his leaking member with their hands, almost ready to release his cum into their face. “[name]…i love you so much!”

and with a few more minutes, he was completely done and empty as his cum is all over his stomach, dirty his body and some part of his hoodie. despite his exhaustion and panting, max is willing to go for one last time before going to bed for the night, after all, he wants to fantasize about his beloved one last time for tonight.

“…next time, [name] will be here to help me with this.”

@moonit3 writings

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Conrad deserves better than Belly. After he sees Jere and her kiss, he get his ass to Stanford and meet this cute and smart maybe tutor girl (Haley James style) and falls in love with her and then they show up at Jere's wedding years later and Belly is jelly

I've spent the last five days working on this one.

p.s. it's 2k words...

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

When Conrad finished his exam, he went back to Jeremiah and Belly. He was going to tell and confess his love to her before she had to get home, but when he got to his car, the scene Conrad walked on made him sick to his stomach: Belly and Jeremiah were full on making out against his car. He stopped short of the car and cleared his throat, causing the two to spring apart from their heated kiss and see Conrad looking right at them. 

Conrad’s face was white. He would rather have had someone shoot him in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly, than have to watch the two of them kissing.

He didn't know who he was more angry at. Belly, who, not even a day ago, had told him she would have fought harder for him if she knew he loved her that much. Or Jeremiah, who, although he knew how much Belly meant to his brother and how fucking in love he was with her, seized the opportunity to kiss Belly the moment he was alone with her.

‘’Conrad—’’ Belly started, guilt settling in her guts. 

He cut her off, his voice cold and cutting. ‘’I don’t want to hear it.’’ 

His gaze shifted from Belly to Jeremiah. There was so much hate in his eyes. How could Jere do that to him? They agreed to stop hiding things from each other and talk, but Jeremiah must have forgotten already. 

‘’You broke up with her, Con, remember? We did nothing wrong,’’ Jeremiah said, pulling facts in his favor to make himself feel better — less guilty — for kissing his brother’s ex.  

When Conrad kissed Belly on the beach last summer, he didn’t know she and Jeremiah were a thing — if he could call it that — or that he liked her. If he had, he wouldn’t have kissed Belly or confessed his feelings to her. Had the situation had been in reverse, Conrad wasn’t sure Jeremiah would have backed off. 

‘’I’m done.’’ Conrad's voice was resolute, his heart heavy as he turned away, unable to bear the sight of them any longer.

Jeremiah moved to follow, calling out Conrad's name. He didn’t stop, needing to be as far as possible from the painful scene. His mind was racing with a jumble of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and a profound hurt gnawed at him. He had trusted both Belly and Jeremiah, yet they pulled this shit behind his back. 

‘’Why do you always have to act like that?’’ Jeremiah said as he quickened his pace to catch up. 

Finally, Conrad turned to face Jeremiah, his expression a mix of sorrow and resentment. ‘’You don’t get to tell me how to react, Jere. You kiss the girl I love outside my school, against my car while she’s wearing my sweatshirt. If you don’t see how disgusting and messed up it all sounds—’’

‘’She kissed me,’’ the younger one quickly defended. 

 Hearing this made him want to pack his bags, get his ass to stanford and focus on school. He needed to turn the Belly page, and in order to do that, he needed to be away from both she and Jeremiah. California seemed far enough, right?

*

The first days and weeks were tough for Conrad, struggling to accept the definite end of the relationship. She was still all over him like a wine-stained shirt he couldn’t wear anymore. 

He blocked both Belly and Jeremiah’ numbers. If he wanted to move on, he had to keep his distance from them. For a while, at least. Then, he deleted all the old pictures he kept of Belly on his phone. There was no going back for them anymore. 

He was done.

*

You met Conrad a little before Christmas break. Just like those cliché rom-coms, you walked right into him and spilled your chai latte all over his sweater. You wanted to break the cliché and not fall for the victim of your clumsiness, but after one look into those beautiful blue eyes, you knew it would be impossible. 

 After that day, you kept crossing paths around campus and, one afternoon, you asked him out. He was so surprised, but he said ‘yes’. 

Although you had sealed the end of the night with a few kisses, you decided to take things slow. You had a very busy schedule with the tutoring lessons on top of your regular program, and Conrad was unsure if it was too soon to get in another relationship, if he was ready for it. The scar Belly had left on his heart was healing, but was he ready to open his heart to someone again? 

‘’Have you ever been in love?’’ you asked one night in his dorm while studying. 

Your question had caught Conrad off guard. It was visible on his face. 

‘’Have you?’’ he returned, not taking his eyes off his textbook. 

He was trying to dodge the question. 

‘’I asked you first,’’ you said, seeing through his plan.

‘’Then yes.’’

‘’How many times?’’

‘’Once.’’

His answers were flat, annoyed he was by all your questions. He wished you would stop and get back to studying in silence, but you kept going. 

‘’On a scale of one to ten, how in love were you?’’

‘’You can’t put being in love on a scale,’’ he said, lifting his head with furrowed eyebrows. ‘’Either you are or you aren’t.’’

‘’But if you had to say.’’

Conrad started flipping through his notes. He hadn’t thought of Belly in months. He missed her — in a different way he used to. She was his friend before they got tangled into this mess.

He didn’t look at you when he finally said it. ‘’Ten.’’

*

The more time he spent in your presence, the more Conrad was — unknowingly — letting go of his past. 

The pictures he deleted months ago became pictures of you, filling his phone until there was no space left. The smell of your perfume lingered on some of his clothes and in his car. He had your coffee order memorized, along with your favorite study-break snack, which he made sure to have in stock in his dorm. 

You became part of his routine — part of his life —, brightening his days even on his darkest, saddest nights. 

He didn’t want to bother you, but nothing was calming the ache in his chest. He tried getting some air and smoking weed, he even thought of calling Laurel, but it was almost 2am in Pennsylvania. Conrad didn’t want to scare her. 

So he pulled up your contact and called, the weight of his grief still heavy in his heart, wishing Susannah was still there. He couldn't believe a full year had gone by since she took her last breath. 

You were about to slip into bed when you saw his name flashing on your phone. You almost didn’t pick up, but you got a gut feeling that he needed you. 

When you opened your door, a saddened look was etched onto Conrad's face, his beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sight pulled at your heart and you wrapped your arms around him, holding him for the whole night.

Supported each other through finals and all-nighters.

‘’Getting tired?’’ you said, catching him actively fighting against his own eyelids. 

Conrad shook his head, taking a long gulp of his coffee. ‘’No time for sleep. I have this huge exam first thing tomorrow and I still have a lot of chapters to cover.’’

‘’You can take a short nap if you want. I’ll wake you in thirty minutes,’’ you kindly offered, flipping through your notes for a specific annotation. 

‘’Nah, I’m good.’’ He flashed you a soft smile, then returned to his studying. 

A few minutes later, and you couldn't help but notice that Conrad's eyes had begun to droop. They would halfway close and then he would either blink a bunch of times, or widen his eyes until they were bug eyed. It was cute.

‘’Con? Conrad?’’ you called out gently. 

‘’I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes,’’ he mumbled defensively, fighting fatigue.

There was no way he was getting through the night, so you put your notes down and slipped on Conrad’s flannel shirt that was on the back of your chair to shield you from the night air. ‘’We’re gonna need more coffee.’’ 

As you came back with two fresh cups of coffee, you found Conrad fast asleep on your pillow, still clutching his pen.

And held his hand through the rainiest times — literally.

‘’Isn't California supposed to be the sunniest state?’’ Conrad asked, watching the downpour through the windshield, drenched from head to toe. ‘’The seats are all wet...’’ 

‘’You gotta learn to live with the consequences of your own actions, Connie baby.’’ 

It was his idea to get waffles when the sky was looking very gray and angry. He insisted that it would clear out, but a loud clap of thunder echoed on your way back to the car and rain started pouring. You took the road back to campus, but it got too dangerous, forcing Conrad to stop the car on the shoulder of the road and wait for the rain to calm. 

You wiped your face with the sleeve of your hoodie and a smile curled on Conrad’s lips, still the most beautiful to his eyes despite your wet hair and the slight smear of mascara under your eyes. 

 ‘’Rain happens everywhere. Even in the dryest desert,’’ you reminded him, pulling out your phone to check the weather app.‘’Unfortunately, this one isn't gonna stop anytime soon.’’

You toed off your sneakers, making Conrad draw his eyebrows.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’We’re gonna be here for a while.’’ You peeled off your hoodie — also wet from the rain —, leaving you in your skirt and dainty bralette. ‘’Might as well occupy ourselves,’’ you explained before leaning over the middle console and kissing him, fastening yourself to him with a stitch. 

The kiss took him by surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. He could spend hours kissing you and never get bored. 

You crawled over the console and on Conrad’s lap without breaking contact, your hands easily finding grip on his hair as you felt his hands all over your body, caressing and pulling. The windows were fogging quickly around you, creating a veil of privacy as more layers were peeled off.

Conrad once believed he had found love, that Belly was it for him, but the feelings he felt back then were nothing compared to how he felt right now. 

‘’You’re the best thing that happened to me,’’ he confessed, his forehead pressed against yours. 

*

The invitation came in a few weeks before the wedding. Conrad couldn’t believe his brother was going through with this. Everything was happening so fast and seemed rushed. Him and Belly weren’t even twenty. Who gets married so young anymore? 

He arrived in Cousins a few days prior to the wedding, surprising everyone — and stealing the attention from the soon-to-be-weds — when they saw a girl with him. 

The only person who knew exactly who you were was Steven. A few months ago, you had posted a picture with Conrad at the beach and tagged him, leading to Steven finding out about his friend’s new girlfriend. He was surprised when he saw it, but very happy for Conrad. He deserved better than someone who plays between two hearts. 

Laurel put down the table-center she was holding and went over to pull Conrad in a hug. She turned to you, making quick introductions, and Conrad held his breath. He’s always been close to Laurel and her approval meant more to him than his father’s or Jeremiah’s. 

While the two of you engaged into a conversation, he saw her. Belly. Dressed in a white sundress and talking to Taylor, she looked just the same. The only difference was, Conrad felt nothing. No pain, no old feelings rising back. 

For the first time, what’s past was past.

‘’Belly, come greet Connie and his girlfriend,’’ Laurel called out to her daughter. 

Although you had never met her, you could tell exactly who she was in the room — and not only because her dress was white. The jealousy filling her eyes when they fell on you gave her away.

—

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[i-am-hungry-24-7]

Simon Riley lets out a high-pitched squeal when you shower with him first time because the water is too goddamn hot. (but it’s the best temperature for you).

LOL YES YES YES THIS IS SO TRUE!! Idk why but I also have a hc that he prolly jumped a bit to avoid the hot splash because in his military life he's used to shower in cold ass water, and rarely has time to adjust the temperature since he showered in rush (3 minutes shower). His skin might be a little pink or red after warm (hot) shower. Please just give this man lukewarm bath with rubber duck, shark and starfish, a gentle scalp massage would be a help too and trust me 100% he's addicted to it

yes he deserves a nice bath 😈 ty for the ideas!! this is just some little scenes I think will happen :D!

Simon*Reader, silly couple

btw anon’s talking about this post

Shower with Simon Riley

1.

You finally convince Simon to shower with you the first time (not that he doesn’t want it, he’s just not familiar with these intimate couple things, give that man some time to build his courage).

You throw your clothes aside without any bit of shyness, and step behind the shower curtain, turning on the water and waiting for Simon to come in.

You can’t help but salivate at the man’s figure, and he seems to notice your gaze, his ego must thrive to sky-high in mere seconds.

Until you rinse the water on his chest.

“eee!”

“???” You almost doubt it’s a seagull showering with you when you hear the high-pitched squeak coming from your lover whose voice is always low and gravel.

“...” Oh, and he’s avoiding meeting your eyes now.

“Did you just squeal Simon?”

“No.”

“But I heard—“

“No.”

2.

“You want this bath bomb or this or that?”

“They’re all fucking same.”

“No, this is vanilla, this is lavender, this is rose and this is...”

“Bloody hell... just choose one for me.”

“Alright then.” You toss the vanilla one into the lukewarm water.

10 minutes after Simon falls asleep in the bathtub with the rubber duck in his hand when you softly scratch his scalp.

...

A few days later, you open the drawer outside the bathroom and get drowned by tons of vanilla bath bombs.

“I thought someone said all of them are the same...” You smirk at Simon, while he just stares at you and can’t find a convincing reason to defend himself.

3.

You discover Simon’s skin turns into light pink after showering with you a few times.

“You’re like a strawberry” You two are cuddling on the bed after a soothing shower together. “Your skin always becomes pink after you shower with me.”

“I’m not a fucking strawberry.”

“How about peach?”

“That’s the same.”

“but it’s cute, seeing your cheeks turn red.”

You poke his face cheekily, but he just shoves your blahaj on his face to cover it.

“What, Simon?” You snicker as you scoot closer “Shy for being said cute?”

“...” He doesn’t answer, just covers his face with your plushie more secure.

“How can I kiss you when you cover your face, handsome?”

“...” Simon still maintains silence, but you’re damn sure he’s hesitating.

“You don’t want my kiss?” You fake a disappointed tone, and eventually, he moves the blahaj out of his face.

Your smile deepens when you still spot the pink smearing across his cheeks.

“That’s my man.” You peck his lips “Thanks, cutie”

You really should stop teasing him. You tell yourself when he smashes the blahaj on his face again once he hears you call him cutie.

[callanton]

“girlfriend effects” ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

habits that they develop from dating you.

pairing. bf!riize x fem!reader. warnings. insane usage amount of the word 'like' mentions of food, dizzy, cursing, kissing and marking (not heavy though!) marriage on anton one! rara's letter. giggled to much on the seunghan's one..

— shotaro & buying things that remind him of you.

he would buy everything that reminded him of you.

and prolly would update you even when you're asleep.

taroro <3: look what i got :D this kinda reminds me of you!!

he would buy literally ANYTHING even when it's so expensive that out of his budget.

especially when he's on vacation in his hometown.

having a bunch of plushies and keychains that look exactly like you.

keychain on his bag, sticker on his laptop, plushies all over his room.

then he'll buy a keychain that looks like him for you!!

you MUST hang it on your bag or wherever you want just, please, show it off.

he loves it sm.

this boy will giggle all day until you're tired.

— eunseok & bringing your essentials with him everytime.

like i said on my previous bf headcanons!

he would, and he has everything!!

your hair tie was missing? don't worry, he has one on his wrist.

your lips dry? he'll pass the chapstick, lip balm or any lip treatment without you asking.

omg what if your keys are gone somewhere??? bae he has your keys all the time in his bag.

you're just clumsy, but luckily your perfect boyfriend would come to the rescue everytime!

you felt dizzy all of a sudden? girl, he has a whole bottle of water and the medicine prepared.

the members would probably ask why he has a hair tie on his wrist.

all of them are just like they didn't believe that the song eunseok. carrying your items everywhere?? unbelievable.

and, no. he wouldn't take it off, even though the members were teasing him to death.

it's important for you!! why would he take it off?

— sungchan & kissing you everytime he got a chance.

this man has an obsession with your lips.

trust me when i say he has, he has.

i might throw the "chance" aside..

bcs BOY, HE WOULD KISS YOU EVEN IF YOU WERE TALKING WITH HIS MEMBERS.

bro is that down bad 😭🙏🏻

he doesn't give a fuck, even when his members are teasing him for being too clingy.

he just loves you too much, and maybe that counts for your lips too.

wouldn't be ashamed if your lipstick stuck on his lips.

it's the other way, he absolutely loves when your lipstick marks him and would be proud of himself.

he can't stand the fact that he hasn't kissed you yet.

like everytime, i mean everyday, at least three kisses before he can go on with his day perfectly.

even when he's far away from you, a virtual kiss would do.

bro has a whole album of kissing memes.

— wonbin & doing your hair.

he loves it when you talk about how your day went.

bcs those faces that you make when focusing are just so cute.

but then a hair piece falls in front.

he will tuck it behind with a school girl in love kind of smile 🥹

like he's felt like falling in love all over again.

it felt like a romantic movie that he never expected to have.

everything is like a slow motion to him.

he loves it when you decide to tie up your hair!!

then he loves to braid, wash, dry, and brush your hair.

especially when you had a busy week and had no time to wash or do your hair.

he'll let you rest and let him do your hair.

everything is on him, don't worry!!

— seunghan & back hugging you.

this mann T^T

okay now imagine you're in the same house as him.

when you wake up just to see this fine man hugging you from behind.

legs and hands all entangled with you.

buttt if you're not next to him when he wakes up.

be prepared to get the tightest hug from behind.

yeah, the kdrama scene.

which the female lead is cooking or preparing breakfast for the male lead.

then boom, back hugs.

place kisses all over you. neck, cheeks, forehead, and the temple of your head. hair. the back of your hands.

"i'm expecting you to be by my side when i wake up.."

so whinyy

how much you love him for this, but he gotta let go!!

or else no breakfast for the day.

— sohee & everyday text with you.

it's a must for him.

you're asleep? good.

bcs you'll wake up with a whole ass paragraph from him.

really really love sending you pictures of him doing almost everything.

eating, practicing, even before sleeping.

he'll update you everytime he gets the chance!!

absolutely adore when you decide to send him the pictures of you back to him.

asking how your day went.

when you say it was suck, he will go straight to your house without warning.

he's far away from you? not a problem.

face timing is the solution, so go!

would never end the call, even when you've already fallen asleep after telling him your whole day.

screenshots of your pictures and put them as his new wallpaper ^3^

— anton & planning almost everything.

you know, how was this man obsessed with planning everything??

like he has everything organized.

so you don't need to worry that your date is on the same day and at the same time as your work or school.

bcs that would never happen!!

try to think of anything that you would never think of happening.

marriage ‼️

like yeah, he would have a whole note about the wedding theme.

what types of or where would you both go for the honeymoon

man is so delusional.

he's so in love with you that he has already planned everything, even though there's still a long way to go :(

it's the summer time for him!!

your favorite snacks? check. your favorite place to go? check. your favorite activities? check.

you just need to pay him back with a lot of kisses and cuddles.

© CALLANTON. all right reserved. do not copy, use, steal my work and post. ౨ৎ

[praisethegabs]

OLDER

leon kennedy x reader

synopsis: he's getting older, and he knows that. not believing in luck or in love, leon finds himself in a position of complete misfortune. he convinced himself he's not worthy of love, but that changes when he meets you.

warnings: angst with fluff ending, age gap, leon is very insecure about his age and the reader. strangers to lovers, mentions of smut, ptsd, alcoholism, depression, suicidal thoughts. reader is very delicate, kind, and patient. there's parts from the vendetta book and a few scenes from re6. it starts with re6!leon and ends with di!leon

word count: 15k

a/n: guess who's back? to celebrate the 1 year re4r anniversary, I decided to post this one shot I was working for almost two months. I'm into my angst era again. also i wrote this based on this analysis i read, which made me think about the broken part of leon for a while, also this fic contains part of the vendetta book. feel free to leave comments, reblogs, tips, or positive critics. they're always very welcome ❤️

I. THE WEIGHT ON HIS SHOULDERS

Life can be a bitch sometimes.

This is what he says to himself when he finishes another bottle of whiskey. Every day, when he opens his eyes, he tries to stay positive, hoping his day will be different from his usual schedule; in the end, it is always the same bullshit. Over and over again. No apparent ending; always his solitude. 

But someday it must end, right? He can’t be fighting B.O.W.'s for the rest of his life, can he? Maybe someday he’ll finally settle down and have a peaceful day. Maybe, on this day, his nightmares will stop, and if he’s lucky, he’ll sleep for the entire night. No one can blame him for dreaming of a perfect life, and no one can take this from him. 

The government made him their slave, their deadly pet that follows and obeys every rule and command, and forced him to risk his neck almost every week to keep their country safe. What a bunch of assholes, he thinks to himself. Thing is, Leon hates himself for what he was forced to become. 

There is so much pain. So much suffering. He only wanted to be a cop — nothing more than that. He wanted to deal with simple things — not bioterrorists ready to blow up the entire world, not grotesque mutations that defy the natural order of things. Certainly, if he had a choice to go back and change that night, he wouldn’t go to Raccoon City. He would've stayed in his cheap hotel room; he would have obeyed Marvin’s orders to not go in there. 

But now he’s something else. The rookie cop who had to survive that night died. He can’t even recognize himself anymore, and sometimes, he blames himself for it. No more than he blames the government for it; if he could go back… 

His days are filled with this emptiness — the sensation that he might never see his happy ending. Ada? Yeah, sure. He knows he can’t trust her, and God knows where she is or what she’s doing. He was so naive to fall for her like he did. While on his free day out of the office, he finds himself with a certain envy of happy couples. He can’t stop thinking: why can’t he have the same? Why can’t he be happy for once?

Getting older sucks. At this point, Leon thinks and has already convinced himself that he doesn’t belong to anyone and that he won’t be able to have someone. To experience love and being loved, he wants to be wanted. He’s getting older and still doesn't have anyone by his side. That’s the price he pays for having this life, and he still blames the government for taking it from him. He doesn’t remember the last time he actually felt something for someone, and at this moment of his life, it doesn’t matter to him anymore. Leon had already accepted the fact that he'd die alone. Maybe he’ll get a cat to keep him company. Since he’s not much of a dog person since Raccoon City, maybe he’ll name her a cute name; who knows? That’s probably the closest he’ll get to having something waiting for him at home. 

Leon doesn’t remember the last time he actually felt happy. Since Raccoon City, he doesn't know what happiness means, and sometimes, on very rare occasions, he envies people around him. He feels like his entire life has no purpose and no meaning, and he’s completely faded to emptiness, to a sad existence based on killing bioweapons and serving his country. Does he feel proud about it? No, he doesn’t. 

It’s been a very long time since Leon felt pride. That feeling died and is now buried in the remains of Raccoon City, inside that police station where his life turned upside down. Now he’s only an empty shell of what he used to be. He’s rotting inside, craving something he knows he can’t have, and there’s nothing but a void inside him, consuming every inch of him. 

After serving his country for years, he started to get used to the idea that maybe he wasn’t made for a happy ending, and he shouldn’t bother with such things. He can’t afford the luxury of being with someone, because it means being vulnerable, and it also means he would have to open himself to things he swore he would never feel again. No, thank you. 

Things at work aren’t exactly the best, either. Years ago, Leon started to question himself about whether the government cared about their people, especially the ones he had to kill in order to save others. Leon couldn’t forget what happened in Spain — the entire village he was forced to end so he wouldn’t die. Perhaps they could’ve saved them; possibly they could’ve had a chance; maybe if… and this is where he dozes off thinking about the infinite possibilities. 

After what happened in Raccoon City, Leon knew he had lost faith. He knew things would never be the same after everything he saw that day. Sometimes, he finds himself thinking about Annette and William Birkin. He feels his body shivering when he remembers he had to fight for his life, clinging to something bigger than him. Survival. 

II. RINSE AND REPEAT

He has no social skills, and doesn't know how to interact with people anymore. It all feels weird and uncomfortable, and it makes him feel terrible. Sometimes he feels like he’s stuck in time and can’t have a proper conversation with someone normal. The worst part of his life is that he feels he’s carrying a weight on his shoulders that it wasn’t supposed to be his in the first place. He has the weight of the world with him, and there is no one to help him through it. Life made him depressed, cold and distant. Life has built him this way; he's shaped himself into something he’s not, and he can’t find himself. He’s lost. 

Leon can’t stop having nightmares about Raccoon City.

At this point, he just accepted that they wouldn't go away. It feels like he’s trapped inside his own mind, and there’s no turning back. Sometimes at night, he keeps looking at his ceiling imagining a different life, where he was a cop and happy. Usually, his nightmares are so dark and deep that when he wakes up, he finds solace in the sunlight, feeling relieved that he survived another night. When he doesn't sleep, when he’s too scared to close his eyes, he cries quietly, protected by the walls of his room, searching for assurance and a promise that everything will be fine. It doesn’t always work, but now he knows he can control his fears, and somehow, it helps him feel safe.

This time, his mission nearly got him killed. His entire body was full of bruises and wounds, and every part of him hurt. He felt his body swallowing a little, and he felt terrible again. He has blood under his nails, and he washes himself at least three times to make sure there’s nothing more on him than the burden of being a slave for the government.

Leon is paranoid; he can’t stand the fact that he has blood on his hands. If he sees a spot, he’ll clean it until there’s nothing left, and maybe he’s now too obsessed with the idea of being clean. It makes him feel sick to the bones, because he knows what he does and what it means. He knows that this guilt won’t be washed away like the blood on his hands, and certainly won’t get away from his head like it does from his clothes whenever he launders them. It’s a pretty shitty routine, but he’s used to it. 

Now he finds himself in a very dark place; he can’t eat without feeling guilty. He can’t do the basics of his chores because he can’t stop thinking about his life, regretting every decision he made. Everything he does seems mechanical, like he’s repeating the process over and over again, a perfect killing machine that has no one to care about. On Fridays, he finds himself sitting on his couch, in complete silence, holding an empty bottle. He knows he can’t drown himself in alcohol, no matter how much he wants it or how tempting it sounds, because the liquid doesn’t affect him anymore. It doesn't make the pain go away or silence the horrors he saw during his life. 

After three weeks inside his house, locked inside his room, Leon woke up with a strange feeling inside his chest. Something was telling him that this day would be different, like a big change would happen. For the first time in weeks, he decided to leave his place for a simple walk. He could do that; he could walk into the market and buy some real food or maybe get a haircut. He felt that he was able to allow himself to have an ordinary day. 

After taking a long shower, Leon decided to wear cozy and comfortable clothes. He was so used to his brutal routine that he almost forgot what it was like to have a normal day, but this time, he was willing to try something different. He took a deep breath before leaving his house, and when he felt the soft, cold breeze reaching his skin, he knew he could do that.

Step by step, Leon found himself walking towards the market, even enjoying the lovely view he had from his neighborhood. He doesn’t remember it to be so… gray. Sure, he knows what winter is, but he doesn’t remember the last time he actually stayed at his home during the winter. His lips turn into a small smirk, and he thinks how silly he is. When he reaches the small market, which is more of a store, he walks slowly, looking at what he might be buying - he’s done with frozen food. He stops at the veggie section and keeps looking at it, confused. 

“These aren’t fresh” a sweet voice is enough to wake him up from his trance. He looks in that direction, and all he sees is you.

“How can you tell that?” he asks you in visible confusion, which makes you smile. And that smile was enough to sparkle something oddly inside him. 

“Color, smell, texture,” you explained, still smiling and showing him a fresh vegetable. “This one is fresh."

"Thanks,” Leon replied awkwardly, taking the vegetable from your hand and placing it in his basket.

“You don’t come here very often. I know almost everyone who comes to buy food here,” you said next, glancing at him with curiosity. 

“I… have a busy schedule,” he says, still sounding awkward.

“Really? Well, you should definitely take some time to buy healthy food. I’m pretty sure you do a lot of workouts to keep your body in shape” you giggle, noticing the size of his muscles, which makes his face turn red.

“I’ll keep that in mind” Leon managed to say, although he wanted to dissipate from Earth.

“I can help with that” you suddenly said, analyzing him more carefully.

“With what?” Leon frowned, already feeling his heart beating ten times faster.

“I noticed you’re having difficulty with your right arm, which makes me think you got it hurt. If you’re planning to buy more, I can help with your bags” you offered, very polite and kind, catching him by surprise. 

“Thanks” Leon says, finding himself smiling, which is unusual. 

At first, having some company after so much time alone made him think it was strange. He wasn’t feeling ready to have a small conversation, but you didn’t seem bothered. In fact, you were enjoying walking to this stranger's house in complete silence. Fifteen minutes later, you were in front of his house in an awkward silence between the two of you. 

“I guess this is it” you smiled at him, and Leon found himself lost in your smile. 

“Yeah. Thank you” he said for the fifth time, which made you giggle a little. 

“Anything for a customer” you said to him, giving him his bags. “My parents are the owners, so…”

“You don’t seem too old” he said, and after a second, he felt more weird. “I mean…”

“Nah, it’s ok. This isn’t the first time people say I'm younger than I look”. You smiled again, thinking that this old man was very silly and cute. “I’m 25, don’t worry”

“I’m Leon, by the way” He finally says his name to you, stretching his hand in a very educated way.

“Nice to meet you, Leon” you said before shaking his hand. 

Leon took at least three weeks to return to the market. 

His initial thoughts about you were that he definitely felt weird in your presence. Maybe he felt that way because of his lack of social skills and because he really sucks when the subject is social conversation. He caught himself thinking too hard about the visual and evident contrast between the two of you; you were young, bright and smart, with a great future ahead of you, and plus, you came from a loving family. Leon, on the other hand, was an orphan used and abused by the government, their pet and a man who only knew pain and brutality. 

However, you were the first friendly face he saw after years. The way you were smiling and giggling at his awkward answers, it definitely made him feel something he thought he would never feel again. It was like you found the rookie cop inside him, and despite the fact that he barely said something, he felt normal around you. And that was more than enough. How could it happen so fast? 

“How can I help you?” you said before noticing it was him. “Oh, hi” 

“Hi” Leon is welcomed by that smile of yours. “I… um…”

“You came to buy more veggies?” you ask, still smiling at him. You think it’s cute to see him without any words. 

“No… I just came because I’m looking for food seasoning” Leon said, his face slightly turning red. “I’m trying new recipes, so…” 

“Yeah? What have you been trying?” you ask with sudden enthusiasm, leading him to the part with seasonings. 

“Nothing too risky” he answers vaguely, following you closely.

“What kind of seasonings do you like?” You turn back to face him as you show him the shelves with different types of seasonings. 

“I’m more into spicy flavors” Leon tells you, his attention going to the shelves. 

“It suits you” you said, giving him some space. You saw him smiling again. 

"How does spicy seasoning suit me?” he asks with a hint of curiosity. 

“You might think I’m weird, but… seeing from outside, you look like someone with a rough agenda and, apparently, whatever you do is dangerous. Personally, I think you suit perfectly spicy things” you said, hoping it would make sense. 

“I think I got your point,” Leon said, and then he found himself smiling for the second time. 

“Lucky me, right?” you laugh, walking back to the cashier. “Is this all for today?”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Leon nods, grabbing his wallet to pay for the seasonings. 

“How’s your arm?” you ask, taking his money and counting it. 

“It's better. I had to take a few painkillers, but it’s definitely better” he said, avoiding you for a few moments. 

“That’s great. I know a few herbs to help with the pain” you said, giving him the change from his purchase. 

“How so?” Leon asks with another hint of curiosity. 

“A great sorcerer doesn’t reveal her secrets” you wink playfully at him. “You need to earn that, soldier” 

“And how could I earn your secrets, great sorcerer?” Leon asks, enjoying your playful mood. 

“Maybe you can invite me for dinner and show me your cooking skills” you shake your shoulders and, for the second time, catching him by surprise. 

“You would love that, wouldn't you?” Leon said, and a slight smirk appeared on his lips. 

“Who knows?” You wink playfully at him, with another suggestive smile on your lips. 

The world has gone to hell, Leon thinks to himself. 

He starts to contemplate everything that has happened to him. When did this madness begin? It was back in Raccoon City? Oh, no. It is way older than that. Maybe his collapse started when his family died, and he was left an orphan; what happened in Raccoon City wasn’t really the beginning of his nightmare. It was the cherry on top of the torments that would become his life. 

Now that he’s coming back home from another mission, he can’t stop thinking how his life could’ve been if Umbrella had never happened. If those bioweapons were never created, defying every natural order. He looks outside his window, and he just can’t stop blaming himself for Tall Oaks. 

What has become of this world? Leon thinks. Where did I go wrong? 

His life is an entire mistake. It just goes on and on. His family first, then Raccoon City. Tricell, Los Illuminados, Uroboros and, finally, that nightmare at Tall Oaks. Leon takes a deep breath. He feels his hands shaking and closes his eyes, forcing himself to forget. How silly he is!

The future is a hell that’s only getting worse. 

III. THE PAIN OF REMEMBERING

You weren't expecting Leon to find the note with your number that you left on his seasonings, the same way you weren't expecting him to call you.

However, something about him got your attention the minute he stepped foot inside the store. He wasn't like anything you had seen before; he was definitely something else. 

After almost four weeks since the last time you saw him, you got a call from an unknown number. It was pretty late at night, but your curiosity won the battle within you, and you had to pick up the phone. With a groggy voice of sleep, you saw the number and frowned.

“Hello?” You ask, followed by a big yawning. It was one in the morning. 

“Hi… um, it's Leon” he says with some urgency, to which you jump from your bed. “I'm sorry to wake you up” 

“No, don't worry. I wasn't sleeping” you lied, forcing yourself not to yawn again. 

“I know it's late, but… I was thinking about that dinner…” he says, sounding somehow hopeful. “Maybe you could come later and… talk?” 

“Yeah, sure. Can you pick me up?” You ask him, and a smile appears on your lips as you answer him. 

“Of course. At seven?” 

“At seven, it is,” you smiled again. 

As soon as the call ended, he was in complete shock. For some reason, Leon felt you wouldn’t accept his invitation, especially after being alone for so long. His heart was beating faster inside his chest, and he had to remind himself that it was just a casual date between… two friends? Could you possibly be his friend? 

Leon felt anxious, something he only felt when he was on his missions. 

Suddenly, the mere thought of having you at his home with him sounded terrifying. He felt like it would end in a complete disaster, and you wouldn’t see him ever again. Then, Leon had to stop and calm himself down, knowing it was his trauma trying to get the best of him. After everything he went through in his life, being able to trust someone proved to be a difficult task. He felt scared, and his mind was racing with thousands of different thoughts, each worse than the other. 

Betrayal is the word that defines Leon. 

He was betrayed before and multiple times, which left him with a lot of insecurities and traumas to the point he feels that he can’t trust anyone, which led to another set of insecurities. Leon feels that he isn’t enough anymore, that he can’t provide the proper attention someone might need from him, and that he can’t be in a relationship because of his problems. The truth is, he can’t be in a relationship until he leaves his trauma behind, and he knows it. That’s the easy part, but the hard one is how to let it go. 

Later that day, Leon finally had the courage to clean his house. He needed some motivation to get rid of his depression, and nothing was better than finally allowing himself to have some company besides his solitude. His house smelled pretty good, everything was clean, and his furniture was even shining. He opened the curtains, and the sunlight entered his living room. He took a deep breath with the fresh air that came inside, and smiled, feeling somehow proud and happy. 

At seven, you were waiting outside the store, scrolling through your phone, when you saw Leon approaching on his motorcycle. You were gorgeous, wearing a beautiful dress and covered by a black leather jacket — the perfect contrast that suited you well. Leon was completely mesmerized by the sight of you - so beautiful, he thought. 

“Hey, there” you waved at him as he parked next to you. 

“Hi,” Leon replies, sounding embarrassed. “You look beautiful”

“You too, handsome” you said playfully, taking the helmet from his hand and sitting behind him, your hands holding him tight. You didn’t notice the small blush on his cheeks. 

"Are you okay back there?” Leon asks you, making sure you were fine before starting the engines. 

“Yeah, I’m fine” you said, nodding your head, and smiling when he started to drive his bike to his place. 

You two didn’t take long enough to reach his place. Leon offered you his hand so you had support to get out of his bike, and he even opened the front door for you. He led you inside his house, and everything inside was enough to show you the kind of man he was; his home was big, but simple. He had a lot of comfort there, but it seemed like he didn't spend much time at his place. You saw some photos at the fireplace, a few when he was younger, at some training camp with his possible friends. 

“How old were you when you took these?” you asked him with curiosity. 

“I was twenty-one” he said, grabbing the wine and the glasses. 

“So young” you whispered, noticing that in some pictures, he was sad. 

Leon took another deep breath. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why couldn’t he be just normal for once? Why did everything have to happen to him? You were standing there, so gracefully, observing his old photographs, so young and full of life, with no baggage with you. Someone actually happy and alive. If you knew how much he envies this. 

“People say that our eyes are the windows to our soul” you turn to face him, noticing his sudden silence. “Yours are so sad and broken… what happened to your neck?”

Instinctively, his hand reaches his neck, and Leon feels the bandage perfectly secured on his skin, with a small spot of blood. Gladly, it was enough to change the subject, because he was shocked enough by what you said about his broken soul. If you only knew. 

“I, um… got hurt on my job. It’s nothing.” Leon tries to avoid speaking about his past. 

“It seems pretty bad” you step closer to him, your hand gently touching his bandage. 

“It’s nothing… trust me” Leon smiles weakly, looking down. His heart is beating so fast inside his chest that he could explode any time. “I’m fine” 

“Then explain why you are so nervous around me” you whispered, now softly touching his cheek. 

Leon felt he stopped breathing, like his lungs decided to leave him alone and deal with the matter himself; how powerful your touch felt. It was enough to break every wall he built around himself for years; it was enough to make him break. And it was only a soft and kind touch. He slowly closed his eyes, his breath becoming normal again, and he allowed himself to just feel it. 

“I don’t know what on earth happened to you…” your voice is full of kindness as you speak, now seeing him hold your hand as you keep touching his cheek. “But I’m always here if you decide to talk” 

Leon was reaching his breaking point. 

He was used to being a slave, always using his body, mind and soul to provide safety for the others without them knowing one damn thing about it; he was used to always being alone, to the point that kindness was a strange feeling, almost not existing at all and that he didn’t deserve it. But here you are. 

“It hurts to remember,” he confessed, his voice a low whisper. “I tried to forget it, but I can’t” 

When he felt you wrapping your arms around his body and your warmth embracing him, Leon felt his eyes getting wet. He was so deeply touch starved, craving something so human, that when he got it, he knew he was going to break. His mind was racing, and his body was trying to process the feeling and react in the proper way. He felt so many emotions at once that he thought he was going insane. 

“Please, keep holding me” Leon begs, his arms finding their way through your back as he hugs you back. “Because I know I’ll fall if you let me go” 

After that night, it took almost two months until Leon decided to show up at the store to see you again. He felt nervous, but at this point, he realized that, for some reason, he couldn’t stay away from you; he felt that you had some type of magnetism enough to keep him close, which made him feel comfortable, something he hadn't felt in a while. 

However, before he went to the store to see you, he needed courage. Leon thought you would be upset with him after being ghosted for almost two months, although he felt responsible for it, since he never told you the nature of his job or why he was so absent. Sadly, Leon was again in a spiral of sadness and depression. His last mission was a disaster, and Leon knew he had no control over his feelings again. He was sitting on his bed, contemplating the bottle in his hands. The curtains were closed, and the atmosphere inside his room was darker. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, and then, he’s there again. 

June 29, 2013. Tall Oaks, USA

“It might create more problems than it solves…” the voice of the president echoes inside his head as he points his gun towards the said person.

Leon doesn't recognize the man in front of him, or what he used to be. He keeps his gun raised, his grasp around the trigger getting tight by the second he makes his decision. His voice comes and goes, creating a tense atmosphere around him. 

“Bio-organic weapons are a global threat and we are partly to blame…” Benford said once to Leon when he expressed his desire to expose the truth about the Raccoon City Incident. He looks at the living corpse in front of him. Tick tack. He knows what he needs to do. “I’ve always valued your friendship, Leon… It’s time to take responsibility and end this mess” 

He shakes his head, somehow returning to his reality. 

“Stay right where you are!” Leon said, his voice sounding cracked and angry. The corpse starts walking towards him and as a reflex, his grip gets more tight. “Mr. President!” 

The zombie starts walking towards him and the woman next to him. He hesitates for a moment, unsure and sure about what he needs to do. Every part of him screams and begs, trying to find a solution. He knows it’s too late. He can’t save the president, he can’t save anyone. 

“Don’t make me do this” Leon gritted his teeth, trying to find any reason to avoid what needed to be done. It happens fast. Adam Benford, the former president of the United States and now a corpse, throws himself towards her. “Adam!” Leon screams.

He pulls the trigger. 

And there’s only blood. 

He gets out of his thoughts when he hears someone knocking on his front door. It doesn't take too long for him to finally stand up and see who’s there, and, inside his mind, he’s already preparing himself to tell this person to leave him alone, but his entire demeanor changes when he opens the door, and all he sees there is you. 

“You’re back” you smiled warmly at him, your cheeks red because of the cold temperature. “I wasn’t sure you were home” 

“What are you doing here?” Leon’s first question isn't as welcome as you thought it would be. 

“A friend can’t see a friend?” you answered simply, and the smile never left your lips. 

“I’m sorry” he sighs, giving you space to enter his place. “I didn’t mean to be rude” 

“Don’t worry” you said, removing your scarf and hat. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, I guess” Leon nods slowly, and you notice he’s not entirely well. 

“Breakfast?” you ask him, wanting to confirm your suspicions, and he nods quietly. 

You had difficulty finding yourself inside his place, since you’ve been there only once. You notice that he’s quiet, and despite that fact, which is completely normal for him, you know that there’s something wrong. So, you decided to go simple with his breakfast. Almost forty minutes later, you came back with a plate full of pancakes, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and some orange juice. 

He leisurely used his knife and fork to eat the food you made. The careful manner in which he ate wasn’t due to his cautious nature, but rather because he had a terrible hangover that messed with his coordination, and rushing could easily lead to a slip of the hand and his shaking. Leon was a pretty man, and he could easily take on leading roles in Hollywood blockbusters. However, he currently sported a scruffy beard, exuded a weary atmosphere, and radiated fatigue and discontent. 

“I think I reached rock bottom,” Leon finally says, but he avoids your gaze at all costs. 

“Then I’ll help you get out of there” you said with kindness, your pinky finger interlocking with his. 

IV. GRIEF AND BARGAIN 

The path to healing isn’t always easy, and now Leon is aware of that. 

The year is now 2014 and he’s struggling to forget what happened a year ago. Sometimes, when his mind is quiet, he starts to wonder. Is it possible that there could have been a world without Umbrella and zombies? Leon scoffed and shook off his sweet dreams. A world without zombies? That's something from a long time ago. The future is only going to become a worse hell. Then, he has to remind himself about the great things he has in life. You are one of these things.

Although he has your support, he knows that he’ll only get better walking this path by himself. The winter deciduous forest looked like branches made of human bones. A mixed forest with a walking path spread out. This is a high-end residential area in Bethesda, Maryland, where congressmen and bureaucrats commuting to Washington spend their nights. In the depths of a thicket, there was a slightly open gentle sloping area where the desired building was located. It was a designer house filled with a sense of openness, with all outer walls covered in glass, and it appeared like a model intended to showcase beautiful scenery rather than a place for people to live in. 

The luxury was excessive to the point where it seemed somewhat like a toy. Leon had hidden himself in the thicket away from the road and was monitoring the designer house through binoculars with night vision capabilities. It was an unacknowledged fact, but a traitor to the country was living in this mansion. Senator Steven Air, who had sold information to a bioterrorist organization, was one of many government officials who had been involved in the incident in Tall Oaks where the President became a victim of B.O.W. Simmons, the President's aide, was among those who betrayed the government. And Leon still blames himself for what happened that night. 

Currently, fifteen members of the Division of Security Operations (DSO) and two stealth drones have surrounded Steven's mansion. It was necessary to capture him and extract plenty of information before bringing him to trial. According to reports from aerial surveillance, Steven was on his way home by car from Washington. The distance from the White House to Bethesda was approximately twelve kilometers, and it would take about thirty minutes if he drove fast. Leon shifted his focus to his shoulder holster with a handgun. Of course, capturing him alive was best, but there was no hesitation in shooting the traitor if he resisted.

Leon suddenly remembers. This is Bethesda. The name is derived from the Bible. From the Gospel of John–

“Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie — the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years."

Jesus healed the man who had been sick for 38 years. God's love and His miracles. Bravo. That's exactly what this world needs in this hell.

"Target approaching."

As he thinks about the Bible, a communication comes through his earpiece. It's a report from the overhead surveillance team flying a drone. A roadway that weaves through a grove of mixed trees was approached by Stephen's white Porsche, an elegant luxury car resembling a graceful white swan. Perhaps dozens, hundreds of people may have died to buy that car. Such is the life of a villain.

"Visual on the target vehicle. Secure upon my GO signal," Leon whispered into his radio microphone. Both the earphones and microphone were of a bone conduction type that excelled in noise resistance. It converts vocal cord vibrations transmitted through the skull directly into voice signals. It was a perfect gadget for special operations where one couldn't make loud noises or miss instructions in the midst of noise. 

The Porsche approached the garage. 

"GO," Leon said sharply. 

At that moment, two SUVs that had been hiding in a blind spot by the roadway started their engines like barking dogs and closed in on the Porsche at tremendous speed, trapping it in a pincer movement as planned. The driver of the Porsche was Stephen's secretary, with a bodyguard in the passenger seat and Stephen himself in the back seat. 

Suddenly trapped from the front and back, they were thrown into confusion. Leon wondered – would the bodyguard or secretary resist? There was no doubt that they were carrying guns. He didn't want to give them unnecessary visibility, but he would deal with it when the time came. The agents jumped out of the trees. In the next moment, Stephen's Porsche exploded. 

A deafening roar and shock. The high-performance explosive device planted under the car's body lifted the Porsche several meters off the ground, engulfing it in flames. And caught up in it, the DSO's SUVs overturned as well. The window glass of all the cars shattered into tiny pieces, the car bodies twisted and burned the people inside. All six agents from the team on foot, including Leon himself, were blown backwards by the force of the blast. Leon still thinks like he’s floating in the air, an eerie feeling of weightlessness that ended when he felt his body slamming against a tree trunk. In those fleeting moments, his consciousness waned, and it was the closest he had come to death.

Yet, it seemed the Grim Reaper was not yet ready to claim him. 

Pain, intense and searing, jolted Leon’s awareness back to life, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. Leon struggled to his feet, and he threw up, retching repeatedly. His consciousness ebbed and flowed like waves, and he knew that rest was essential. Leon suspected that his ribs and collarbone were either fractured or cracked, but, fortunately, his arms and legs remained unbroken. Gritting his teeth, he managed to force his dislocated left shoulder joint back into place, enduring the excruciating pain, as he tried to work out which way was up. 

There are bruises littered across his skin, scratches and abrasions where the bark of the tree tore his flesh. The shock of the explosion and the fear of death… an unpleasant feeling of internal organs turning over welled up. No matter how many times he experienced it, he could never get used to the terror of a close-range explosion. The air was knocked from his lungs; his breathing temporarily stopped; his eardrums were about to burst; and his knees were weak. He can barely stand. Leon finally sits up, willing his agent training to give him a sense of urgency even though his body is screaming in agony. The stench of gasoline fills the air, but Leon can barely smell it. His sense of smell and hearing are both almost gone. What the hell happened? Leon asked himself in front of the burning Porsche.

He feels paralyzed. 

It was three in the morning when your phone started to ring. 

It was an unknown number, and you had to fight the necessity of hanging up; something inside you told you to pick up the call, which you did. It was Leon, and the way his voice sounded on the phone made you aware that something bad had happened. Terrible, nonetheless. You drove to his location, and you found yourself shocked when you found smoke, fire and the smell of gasoline among a lot of government agents and military personnel. You found Leon sitting in the back of an ambulance, his body covered by a blanket, as he was examined by a paramedic. Not only that, but you had credentials to enter that isolated area, and the way those agents were rushing from one side to the other, talking on their phones, made it clear that someone important had died. You made your way towards Leon, not daring to look around, and when you reached him, you saw tears in his eyes. You hugged him tight, like you were holding the world in your hands. 

“It’s ok, I got you” you said to him, your words full of assurance and kindness. 

Leon refused to be taken to the hospital; instead, he asked you to drive him back home, since he felt he couldn’t do it on his own. The ride back to his place was silent, and you decided to respect his space, although you saw him trying to find solace in something real. He couldn’t stop playing with his finger, showing an elevated level of stress and anxiety. You have never seen him like this before. 

“Can you stay?” Leon suddenly asked when you pulled over in front of his house. “I… don’t want to be alone” 

“Yeah, sure” you nodded, noticing how vulnerable he was, which was odd. 

You heard him groaning in pain once he got out of your car, but he refused your help, insisting he was fine. Knowing him well at this point, you gently held his hand, offering nothing but your support, and Leon quietly appreciated your effort. You helped him sit on his couch and heard him mutter something only he could understand. Judging by the look on his face and the way his hands were still shaking, you knew he was in shock. 

“Do you have any first aid kits or something?” you asked him, hoping you would gain his attention. 

“I’m fine” Leon replies, his eyes fixated on his shaky hands. You sat next to him, holding his hands and scratching his skin softly. 

“It’s ok not to be okay." Your voice is almost a whisper as you look into his blue eyes. “You don’t have to be tough all the time” 

You saw him reach the breaking point. 

Feeling embraced by your kindness and safety, Leon finally allowed himself to feel his emotions — the same ones he fought hard to bury deep inside him — in the same place he swore he would never visit again. In the cozy atmosphere of his living room, having nothing but you as solace, the brunette agent gave himself a break, and when he did that, his eyes started to get watery.

After Raccoon City, Leon shut himself up so he wouldn’t be hurt ever again. He used to keep his emotions contained; he used to not think of them. He kept everything bottled up, because he knew he couldn’t handle it. Leon was so traumatized that the way he dealt with his feelings was to pretend they didn’t exist, in the first place. After Spain, it got worse. Nightmares after nightmares, the paranoia of still being infected with Las Plagas, everything that came after this. 

But here you are, telling him that it is ok not to be okay, that he doesn’t have to be tough, and that it is okay to feel and to be vulnerable. He couldn’t stop sobbing; his hands were still shaking, but he didn't even care about this at the moment. Gently, you started to play with his hair, your fingers slowly going up and down on his head, providing comfort and care — exactly what he’s been missing his entire life. 

“I lost them all” Leon started to say through sobs. “I saw them dead” 

“It wasn’t your fault” you assured him with calm words. 

“I failed them," he says as he looks at you, his blue eyes shining with tears as they fall through his skin. 

“That’s not true. You didn’t know the car was about to explode or whatever happened there” You tried to calm him down. 

“We were watching him; it was my responsibility to make sure they would be safe… it was my job to ensure that” Leon sobs again, and you can see he’s struggling to breathe due to his anxiety attack. 

“Listen, you’re too nervous right now. Come on, take a deep breath with me” you said, hoping he would listen and cope. 

Leon nods between sobs and takes several deep breaths to try to calm himself down. You took a glass of water and gave it to him, then you took his hand into yours, whispering words of assurance and kindness. You decided to put him to rest, and it wasn’t necessary to drag Leon into his bed; the moment you step foot inside his room, you can see how severe his depression is. Successfully, you were able to lay him down and remove at least his boots. Leon curled into his blankets and muffled his sobs with his pillows. 

“Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?” you ask, sitting on his bed with him, moving his hair from his eyes. He nodded silently. 

Slowly, his sobs turned into sniffs, and Leon finally fell asleep. It took almost an hour to calm him down completely, but now he was safe and sound into a peaceful slumber, or what appears to be. You don’t recall exactly when you fell asleep on his bed, but you certainly remember when you woke up to the sound of his screams. Leon never told you about his nightmares, and you weren’t expecting that. His chest was drenched in sweat, and he seemed like he couldn’t breathe. His eyes were filled with fear, and he was shaking head to toe. 

“Fuck” Leon mutters, his hand running through his hair. 

“What happened?” you ask him after turning the lights on. 

“Just a nightmare…” he whispers, trying to calm down again. 

“How frequent are they?” It was a bold question, but you needed to know. 

“Every night” Leon ignores your glance, focusing on his shaky hands again. 

“Here, drink it” you give him a glass of water with sugar to calm his nerves. You already had that glass with you the moment you went with him to his room. 

“Do you even like me?” Leon suddenly asks you. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re so kind, beautiful, and young, with so much in your future” Leon sighs heavily. “Why would you be with a… broken man like me? I have nothing to offer but traumas and the big baggage of my shitty life” 

The pressure you put on biting your lip was so intense that it was enough to cut your skin and make it bleed. 

“Who says you have nothing to offer? I don’t think that’s true. You’re a wonderful person, Leon. I can see it every day when you come to see me at the store. The way you smile whenever you are around me, the way your eyes shine…” you said to him, hoping it would be enough to give him some comfort. “I don’t see you as a broken person or a man with the baggage of a shitty life. I can’t imagine what must have happened to you, and I know it must be difficult and hard because that's what I see, but, Leon, the darkness around you doesn’t define who you are. Whatever life did to you, it doesn't dictate your present or future."

No matter how many kind words you say, it isn’t enough for him. Leon blames himself for what happened, and you know he won’t forget it so soon. How can he? Those men trusted him and followed him, and now, they’re all dead. Leon thinks he should’ve saved them, even though he knows he couldn’t guess the car was about to explode. 

“I wish I could heal your soul so you wouldn’t suffer anymore, but I can’t” you sigh, then look at his hand. “I wish I could fight all of your demons, but I can’t do that. I’m here and I don’t intend to leave you alone” 

After holding his hand, it was the first night Leon actually slept without any more nightmares. When he woke up the next morning, he felt his eyes heavy and he instantly remembered how he cried the night before after his entire squad was murdered. Then, he also remembered that you were there with him the whole time. Finally, he noticed how strange that feeling was - the feeling of being comforted instead of comforting others. It was a strange feeling indeed, but it was a good one. 

Lazily, he stood up from his bed and decided to look at himself in the mirror, washing his face and taking a moment to see the collateral damage caused by the bomb. There were a few bruises and cuts on his skin, but huge purple marks on his shoulder, which he dislocated. It still hurts, but it’s enough to keep him in the real world. He’s still alive.  

“Morning, princess” you greeted him in his kitchen. “I made breakfast” 

“You shouldn’t worry about that, y’know?” Leon says, leaning against his cabinet. 

“Too late for that. Now is my job to worry about ya” you said, opening the cabinet above your head on tiptoe, which made him smirk. “Are you feeling better?” 

“Yeah, I guess so” he says, nodding his head and helping you get the cornflakes. “Thank you… for sticking up with me last night” 

“You know I care about you, right? Since day one” you glance at him with a warm smile. “I really do” 

“I care about you, too” Leon blushes slightly. “More than I can tell” 

You know Leon pretty well at this point and you know he has trouble speaking of his feelings. You know he can’t express himself properly, and you ain’t stupid. You know someone has hurt him before and you understand why he is the way he is. Fortunately, you are very patient, and that’s enough for now, because you don’t mind giving him time and space. 

“I can look at your wounds; maybe I can help” you offered, finishing preparing the breakfast. 

“This means I finally earned your secrets?” Leon asks, a small smile on his lips, as he references the conversation you had with him a few months ago. 

“You surely did." You nodded, smiling. “Let’s eat first, then I’ll take a look at it” 

Leon seemed to enjoy the breakfast you made for him, and, for the first time since you two met, he genuinely seemed happy. However, you knew deep inside he was trying and fighting hard to hide his true feelings; losing his squad certainly shattered him inside, and caused more damage to him than you could ever imagine. 

Leon is a master when it comes to hiding his feelings. All over the years, Leon had built around himself an impenetrable shell, not allowing anyone to get closer, and all of that because he is scared of being hurt again. However, if the explosion never happened, if his men never died the way they did, Leon wouldn’t be pretending he’s fine when you know he’s not. The damage is so intense that you’re afraid he won’t recover. It’ll always be there with him, rotting inside him. 

You weren’t expecting so many wounds all at once, but when he took off his shirt and you saw his bruised skin, you took a deep breath. He had so many marks, so many stories. You wanted to ask, you wanted to know, but Leon wasn’t ready to share it yet. 

“I got this one back in Raccoon City” Leon quietly says, pointing to the scar on his left shoulder. “I got shot” 

“How did this happen?” you decided to ask him as you gently cleaned a few cuts he had.  

“I was helping a woman named Ada Wong to get a sample of G-Virus, and only a scientist named Annette Birkin had this sample. We were trying to find her and, when we did, she started to shoot Ada. I jumped in front of her, that’s why I got shot” Leon sighs, recalling the events that happened in the sewers. 

“This Ada seems very important to you” you smiled at him, cleaning the other cut he had on his neck.  

“She was, but it was a long time ago” Leon avoids your gaze. “Not anymore” 

“She was the one that hurt you?” you ask him very carefully. 

Leon didn’t answer, but his silence speaks for himself. You can see the extension of the damage and how Leon still struggles to deal with whatever happened between him and Ada. He stays silent, maybe trying to understand how his life turned into this mess. Then, he starts to count every time he was betrayed before until this very moment. His blue irises meet yours and all he feels is… peace. There’s no inner storms inside him, he feels completely at ease. 

“If I ask you a favor…” Leon suddenly says, changing the conversation. 

“What do you need?” you ask him without hesitation. 

“Could you come with me to the morgue? There’s something I need to do” Leon sighs, preparing himself for what’s about to happen. 

“Of course. I’ll tell my parents I’ll go to the store later” you nodded, quickly picking up your phone to text them. 

Leon partially felt guilty, but you were so willing to go with him that he changed his mind after you helped him dress himself — the way he dislocated his shoulder still hurts and he has difficulty with it. You drove to the morgue and judging by the interior of the building, you found out Leon was some sort of agent working for the government. You were able to read the name of the organization. Division of Security Operations. 

“So you’re a badass agent, huh?” you ask with enthusiasm as you walk next to him. 

“I wouldn’t say I’m a badass” Leon chuckles, still feeling tense. 

“Well, if you put your neck at stake to save your country, then you’re definitely a badass” you added, giving him a warm smile. 

When you both stepped inside the morgue, he reached out for your hand, seeking any support you could give him. The back wall was a box-shaped cold storage room, and a row of dissecting tables lined the spacious room. And on those dissecting tables were numerous body bags. It's a body bag with the DSO logo on it. Do they really need a logo even on something like this? Irony floated within Leon's chest. Are they planning to sell products with the logo on them, like DSO-branded body bags, DSO-logoed cigarette cases, DSO-logoed pass cases...?

He walked between the body bags to the sound of his boots. Unlike normal bodies, the victims of b.o.w - related incidents were usually sent for examination to specialized research institutions. Although this time the cause of death was due to a bomb, not a zombie attack, the instruction from above was to send the bodies to various laboratories, so they followed suit. This DSO branch’s mortuary was a relay point for passing the bodies from the scene to the laboratory, like a baton in a relay race. It wasn’t easy to simply bury them in a graveyard. The morgue itself wasn’t scary, but the corpses were scary because they stimulated the imagination. 

“Would they suddenly start moving? Would I end up like this too?” Leon thinks to himself a little bit loud, enough for you to hear him.

“You won’t” you whispered, squeezing his hand to let him know you were there.  

Watching the corpses closely would cause a moment where the elongated shadows would appear like monsters. However, that was before Raccoon City. He had seen too many moments where the dead came back to life. 

“I’m not scared of the mortuary anymore; recently, I’ve been thinking about it a lot” Leon frowned as he moved towards the back while swirling his thoughts. He thought he heard a sound from there minutes before. 

“What do you mean?” you ask him with curiosity as he approaches one of the bags. 

“I was constantly thinking about death and ending everything. I was depressed and thought I had no hope left” Leon confessed, his eyes locked on the body bags in front of him. “But now… I don’t think about that anymore”

He glances at you, finally. Slowly, his eyes meet your hand while you’re holding him and there’s a small smile on his lips, then his blue irises find yours again. 

“I used to be scared of the morgue… but coming here with you… is something else” Leon says next. “I couldn’t do this alone” 

“I’m glad I can help” you said to him with your usual kindness. 

But he stops and turns his attention back to the body bags and sighs. His entire demeanor changed and suddenly, he found himself fighting hard to keep doing this. He needed that. He owed his men at least this final goodbye. 

“What kind of adult did I want to become when I was a child?” Leon thinks to himself as he approached one of the body bags. 

The zipper was slightly open, and the body bag seemed like it was about to move any moment. It’s common for something that seems like it’s about to move to actually move.

Leon carelessly closed the zipper. Was it because of the sharp sound that, suddenly, another body bag bounced behind him? Inside the body bag, the zombie was wiggling and struggling. It seemed unhappy, as if it had been woken up from a deep sleep by force. Leon pulled out his gun from his holster and squeezed the trigger. 

“What kind of adult did I want to become? I definitely didn’t want a life like this” 

V. ACCEPTANCE 

After everything that happened with his squad, Leon knew he needed time off of his office. Decided to get his mind off everything and take a break, Leon chose the Rocky Mountains in Colorado as his destination. Instead of going there alone, he thought it would be good to spend more time with you, mostly because he felt safe around you and due to the nature of his job and everything he saw, he needed to feel that safety only you provided him.  

You had to explain to your parents why you would be going on a vacation, but they understood with no problems; they didn’t know about Leon because you were fearing some trouble because of the age gap, so you felt they weren’t exactly ready to meet him. How could you explain to them you were apparently dating a man eleven years older than you? It would be one hell of a surprise. 

It was 9 a.m. in the mountainous area near Rocky Mountain National Park, located in northern Colorado. The national park was about a two-hour drive from the state capital, Denver. Along the way, there were several viewpoints where numerous travelers parked their cars to enjoy the scenic beauty. Even in the mountainous region of the Rockies, the mountains around this area were not exceptionally high. They were just before the tree line, covered with spruce and fir trees on the subalpine slopes. The forest appeared like a beautifully groomed brush, while wildflowers bloomed modestly, sheltered by large rocks.

“This place is incredible” you sound mesmerized by the incredible view from the hotel. 

“You haven’t been in places like this before?” Leon asks you with curiosity. 

“I barely leave my house” you chuckle, leaving your bag on the bed. “I just work at my parent’s store and go to college” 

“It feels like I’m dating a baby” Leon chuckles, also leaving his bag next to yours. 

“We’re dating, huh?” you teased, taking off your sneakers. 

“Yeah, we are” Leon nods his head, smiling. “I know I haven’t officially asked you, but I’m too old for that” 

“It’s fine, old man. I’m just messing with you” you said, playing with his fingers. 

“Old man? Now I’m offended” Leon teases back, smiling. 

“You said it first” you replied to him, your hands reaching his brown hair. “By the way… I have something for you” 

Leon glanced at you, frowning. The mischievous smile on your lips immediately told him you were planning something. He sat up on the bed and kept his eyes fixed on you, waiting patiently for whatever you were about to do. 

“I got you a birthday present” you said with enthusiasm, catching him by surprise. “I know I’m a few days late, but I wanted to give you something for your 37th birthday” 

“You didn’t have to” Leon whispered in shock as you gave him the small box. 

He unwrapped the present you gave him and found a beautiful dagger, silver and shining, also pretty sharp. Leon knew immediately that you probably paid a lot on that and he felt bad. He took a deep breath and glanced at you. 

“This was very expensive. You shouldn’t waste your money with me like that” Leon says to you. 

“It’s a gift. You can’t give it back” you said to him, a hint of playfulness in your voice as you insisted for him to keep it. 

“That’s not fair” Leon complains, laughing softly. 

“It’s pretty fair to me, though” you said to him, smirking. “It’s just a dagger, not a diamond or something related. I know your job is kind of dangerous and you might need it” 

“Okay, you win. I’ll take it” Leon sighs in defeat. “About my job… I know I haven’t been extremely open about it, but…” 

“It’s okay, I don’t want you to feel forced to share this with me if you don’t feel ready” you stopped him before he could finish his sentence. 

“I wish I could be more open to you” Leon glanced at his hands, feeling bad because of that. 

“Start simple and small. You don’t have to tell me absolutely everything at once” you placed your hand on his shoulder, petting him. 

“Simple and small? How could I do that?” Leon frowned at the idea. He always thought it was impossible to open up about his trauma. 

You pondered for a few moments, thinking about a way to help him talk about his issues in a positive way. 

“Start with something like… why don't you like dogs?” you suggested. A while ago you noticed Leon had a certain aversion to dogs. 

“I… um… I was attacked by dogs in Raccoon City. They weren’t common dogs, they were infected, something like that” Leon found himself surprised by the way he spoke about this issue so easily. “Then, at Spain, I had a few encounters with wolves also infected with a parasite, monstrous things” 

“See? That one was pretty easy” you said, encouraging him to keep talking. “Wanna try to say something else?” 

Leon thought about your question for minutes; inside his head, everything that has happened to him was like an endless movie. The trauma, the pain and the events that seem to be haunting him to this day. It was hard to pick one, but then, he reminds himself of your words of being simple and small. He takes a deep breath and quietly, he convinces himself that he can do this. 

“Back at Raccoon City, it was my first day at the force and I was 21 at the time” Leon starts, his eyes focused on something else. “I was late, but I think that’s why I’m still alive” 

While he was telling you the horrors he saw, you gently placed your hand on his, to let him know you’re there for him. It was a simple and kind gesture, but for him, it meant the world. Leon was only familiar with danger and brutality, so having you by his side providing comfort was enough to penetrate the depth of his former persona. It was enough to rescue the rookie cop buried inside those walls. 

“After that night… everything changed. I’m here because of what I did to survive and I’m not exactly proud of it. I can’t stop blaming myself for my past actions, but…” Leon suddenly stops, taking another deep breath. 

“You can’t control everything around you, Leon. And not everything that happens to us is our fault. You couldn’t know you were going to be stalked and nearly killed on your first day… you didn't know that there was a virus outbreak in Raccoon City that night…” you said to him, placing your hand on his shoulder. “You need to understand that this isn’t your baggage to carry. What happened that day wasn’t your fault” 

Leon had your words playing on repeat inside his head. Even though he was early in the morning drinking his sorrows away, he was still thinking about what you said. He also felt partially guilty for leaving you asleep in the bed while he was drinking, but the other part of him told you knew him pretty well and you wouldn’t be judging him for this. His head was a roller coaster and at this very moment, he wasn’t at the top. 

Leon sat on the first floor of a lodge-style hotel in the rural town. The hotel was two stories tall, made of reinforced concrete, but designed to resemble traditional log construction. There was only one waiter and one chef, making it far from a trendy establishment — a rather run-down place. He was having breakfast in the first-floor restaurant. Though the restaurant wasn't popular, the food was decent. Approaching footsteps came from behind him — two sets of them.

"--To come fully armed to such a peaceful town," Leon said without turning around.

"Leon S. Kennedy, the ace of the DSO, a special agent organization directly under the President of the United States," a voice replied.

Finally, he turned around to see Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers standing there.

"Chris and... oh, the renowned expert in biohazard research, Professor Rebecca Chambers. What do you want?" he asked.

"It's work. Cooperate," Chris said in an uncompromising tone.

Chris and Rebecca sat across from him. And it was noticeable that he wore an annoyed expression. 

"I'm on vacation." 

"...In the past, while protecting the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, you fought and annihilated the cult group Los Illuminados. They were using special bio-organic weapons called Plagas," Chris said.

"I've forgotten about that old stuff," Leon replied simply.

"Do you plan on loafing around in this town for another week?" Chris asked.

"I don't know what will happen in the future," Leon retorted.

"Beer, please," Rebecca chuckled at the reference to an old movie, while Chris wore an unamused expression.

Leon called over a passing waitress with a casual wave to place his order, but Chris interrupted him.

"Cancel the beer."

"No, it's not canceled."

“Come on… what the fuck?!”

"I don't need any more alcohol."

"Cut it out. What's going on?"

"That's my line."

The waitress looked between the two of them suspiciously and before walking away. Eventually, Leon pulled out a flask from his back pocket and took a swig as a substitute for the additional order that couldn't be fulfilled.

"You–!" Chris leaned forward.

"Enough, both of you," Rebecca interjected. "--Leon. We apologize for disturbing your vacation. However, we need the information you possess," Rebecca said.

Finally, Leon showed a willingness to listen.

"...What's the situation?" he asked.

Chris and Rebecca had to explain to him what happened earlier at the university. The case was simple. Glenn Arias was a new threat and they needed to stop him at all costs. However, they didn’t know how Leon was suffering inside; they couldn’t know about the recent events. Leon wearily intertwines his gestures and continues, 

"Just before I took my vacation... I was involved in a DSO mission in Bethesda to apprehend a treacherous senator who was selling internal information to a bioterrorist organization." 

The disgusted irritation was evident in his movements, his expression, and his voice. 

"You know..." Leon begins. "Here's the thing: the informant we used betrayed us. We fell into a trap instead. A massive explosion killed many of my colleagues... and then there was the incident with the resurrection of the corpses you guys were involved in... It's all a mess," 

Leon explains, letting out a heavy sigh. It's a sigh that escapes unintentionally, like a burden he carries.

"I had planned to become a police officer in Raccoon City. It was my dream job. But on my first day, there was a massive zombie outbreak, and from there... it never stopped," Leon pauses and shakes his head. "I've been fighting this whole time. There's no end in sight, and it only keeps getting worse. Have I been living just to fight zombies and the people who create them?"

"What are you trying to say? That you don't want to cooperate with us?" Chris asks.

"It's not that..." Leon's tone is uncertain, "Well, maybe it is."

With a hesitant tone, Leon continues

“What exactly is our goal? How far do we have to run? Do we have to keep running endlessly? The villains keep coming, one after another, while the good people keep dying. Maybe it's better to lose our minds."

Then, Chris found himself forced to explain to Leon what they were facing. He showed pictures of Cathy White, the agent that was turned into a bio-weapon. And worse, her son she killed. He showed the photos taken during the autopsy and how Glenn turned people into something else purely because of power. 

"Killing him is the goal," Chris declares.

"That's only your goal, not mine," Leon retorts, his voice filled with resentment.

Tension fills the air between them once again.

"Hey," Rebecca interrupts, breaking the silence just as she did before. "So, Leon, you're exhausted," Rebecca points at Leon and then gestures to Chris. "And Chris, you're frustrated. There's one thing both tired people and irritable people have in common."

"What do we have in common?" Chris asks in response.

They both look at each other with a wide-eyed grin.

"You only think about yourselves," Rebecca replies. 

"I–" Chris tries to interject, but Rebecca continues. 

"Chris, all you talk about is wanting to kill Glenn Arias. After helping me, you didn't say a single word mourning the sacrifices of our colleagues. Leon, you're acting like a college student in their moratorium period. People get tired of running. But if we stop running, more people will lose their lives."

Rebecca takes out a trigger-activated needleless syringe from her small bag. In front of the bewildered duo, she abruptly presses the syringe against her left forearm and pulls the trigger, causing her blood to collect in the test tube attached to the syringe.

"I'll tell you something important. We're already infected," she says.

"What?" Leon's expression tightens in response.

Rebecca continues speaking in a tone reminiscent of a teacher addressing a poor student. 

"The truth is, it's difficult to estimate just how many people have been infected by Arias' new virus. The problem is, we don't know the identity of the trigger that activates it."

As she speaks, Rebecca removes the test tube from the syringe and seals it with a cap.

"The virus is activated by something only Arias knows. When that happens, the dead rise, and living humans become bio-weapons."

Rebecca glances lightly at Leon. 

"If things continue like this, this city will eventually become a living hell. There won't be any safe places."

Leon remains silent, averting his gaze.

"Just so you know, a prototype of the antivirus has been developed," Rebecca says. "It actually worked on me. However, the effectiveness of the antivirus is unstable without knowing the conditions for the activation of Arias' virus. When to administer it and how long it remains effective..."

Rebecca then places the sealed test tube into a small protective case and puts it on the table. 

"My blood should provide valuable data. If I die, make sure it reaches a reputable research institution that you can trust."

"You're not in danger. We'll protect you," Chris says firmly.

"What?" Leon asks, confused.

"It seems like you're misunderstanding, BSAA soldier," Rebecca lightly dismisses Chris's assumption.

There’s a slight smirk on Leon’s lips as he hears that. 

"The forefront of pandemic response is not the BSAA, but the research field. How many doctors and colleagues do you think I've seen die in conflict-ridden African countries or small Middle Eastern nations used as testing grounds for bio-weapons?" Rebecca questions.

Chris tries to say something in response, but his voice gets stuck in his throat, and only faint breaths escape.

"After I left the team, you two might have fought against plenty of mad scientists. But science can only be countered with science. Unless benevolent technology advances, we will never have a chance of winning. We fight not only for ourselves but for others. Have you both understood at least a little of what I'm saying?" Rebecca asks.

She stands up and adds, "Cool your heads," before leaving her seat.

"She's a great woman," Leon comments.

"We can't handle it on our own," Chris remarks, watching Rebecca leave, and he and Leon exchanged a wry smile. 

And then, here it comes. The urge to talk about what happened one year ago. 

"Leon, China was tough," Chris says, referring to that incident.

"Yeah, it was like a zombie version of Black Hawk Down." he nods in response. 

"At that time, I wanted to quit the BSAA so badly," Chris admits, surprising Leon, "After getting involved with Umbrella, I witnessed too many deaths. We..." 

Chris trails off. His expression was heavy, as if lead had settled in the depths of his heart. Then Chris realized: Why does it make me so angry to see him like this? He was too much like his old self.

"It makes you want to quit... makes me want to quit," Chris says, emphasizing his point. Leon falls into silence. And Chris delivers the final blow. "But, the moment we quit, all of our subordinates and friends will have died in vain. We are the survivors of Raccoon City. We carry that burden."

Chris falls silent, and the air becomes still. The waitress looks annoyed by the silence. For a few moments, there’s nothing but the said silence. 

"Leon, I always thought you were a cheerful guy no matter what," Chris breaks the silence.

"No one is like that," Leon replies, “Well… I’m not. I've always been a stress-tolerant guy. I've been able to do what I've done because of it. But now look back on it. In Tall Oaks, I killed the president.”

"Technically, you had to save the President infected with the virus," Chris quickly adds, trying to provide some context.

“But,” Leon shakes his head, "But the fact remains that I pulled the trigger, I shot him, and I was even suspected of assassinating the President afterward. Although I managed to clear my name, the mastermind behind that incident turned out to be the President's aide. The DSO was once called the 'Sword of the President,' but now it sounds ironically fitting."

Chris remains silent, attentively listening to Leon's words.

"Chris," Leon continues. "I've returned to active duty, but every time I face the new President, I feel anxious. I can sense his unease as well. The President's aide had sold his soul to B.O.W. terrorism. Who's next? The Secretary of Defense? The Vice President? What's become of the foundation that supports the soldiers in the field? They keep using us, while the higher-ups continue to flounder, grow bloated... They only think about shifting blame onto others."

He pauses for a moment. There’s so much pain. 

Leon furrows his brow and lowers his voice. "Perhaps the reason entities like Umbrella persist is that our society harbors a fundamental evil... I can't help but feel that way now."

Even agreeing with this stupid mission, Leon can’t go without saying goodbye. He feels guilty, but the moment he sees you, everything feels completely right. He sat at the bed, watching you perfectly asleep, imagining what kind of dreams you were having. Leon sighs and shakes his head. 

“Hey, sweetheart” Leon says when he sees you waking up. 

“Hi” you whisper, rubbing your eyes. 

“Listen… something happened and my colleagues need me. Will you be okay here?” he asks you, his thumb trailing your cheek. 

“Will you come back?” you ask him, sounding a little groggy. 

“And leave my baby girl here all alone? Of course I’ll come back” he smiles sweetly at you. 

“Ok… I’ll be here” you nodded your head, closing your eyes to go back to sleep. 

Something about you made him see, for the first time, the bright side of things. Maybe it was the fact that you were younger than him, and also the fact that you were full of energy - he was just an old and bitter man. But, hey, he’s learning how to cope with every shit that has happened to him. 

Before you, Leon was ready to die. 

He was ready to embrace death, he already had made peace with his inner demons. But everything changed when you came into his life. Suddenly, he thought he could live and find happiness and death wasn’t in his thoughts anymore. It was like you were able to bring him back from his darkness. He wasn’t rotting inside. You were able to rescue him from himself and return the light he needed. 

But if he thought he wasn’t close to death, he was wrong. Leon never thought he would face something like Glenn Arias and come close to death, but he had his job to do. Chris needed his help and Leon finally found closure to something that was weighing on his head; the death of his squad wasn’t his fault and he found the real culprit. He found the peace he was desperately looking for. And he was able to see another sunrise and come back to you. 

It was a repetitive cycle. Leon recently started to wonder if anything he did was futile. That's why he took a vacation and drowned his sorrows in alcohol. It was a kind of protest, perhaps. A protest against the grand concepts of this world and destiny. A statement of "I’m not going on like this forever, I’m not going to do it," or something of that sort. But fate was cruel. In the end, human life rarely goes well by one's own choices. Perhaps humans are merely chosen by fate without their consent. Yet, Leon now felt that it was okay like that. Being chosen doesn't make him a hero by default. He becomes a hero reluctantly because he was chosen. And that's fine. 

The merged form approached Leon with an eerie growl, swinging its massive fist. Leon leaped back to dodge it, and the merged form's punch shattered one of the spires on the rooftop into tiny fragments. It had the destructive power of a construction hammer, with each strike resembling the impact of a tank cannon round. Leon intentionally slid and jumped into the merged form's feet, thinking that at such a large size, close range might become a blind spot. He positioned himself beneath the massive body, lying on his back and firing his handgun. The shots were practically point-blank, but they were still deflected by the hardened muscles and exoskeleton. 

"Doesn't matter," Leon muttered involuntarily. "I'll do whatever it takes, even if it's futile. Today's a good day to die anyway."

The merged form kicked out.

The enemy's movements were deceptively swift, and Leon was sent flying as if hit by a car. His body tumbled through the air until it finally collided with a gargoyle statue, coming to a stop. The impact was so intense that his breath nearly ceased. However, the merged form continued its pursuit. It threw a straight punch, a blow that would surely result in instant death if landed, but Leon managed to evade it with a jump. Not only did he dodge it, but in mid-air, Leon twisted his body and unleashed a spinning kick. His boot-clad foot connected with the grotesque face of the merged form.

Whether it would have any effect or not didn't matter. This strike was my will. Of course, a kick from a mere human wouldn't have any effect. The merged form retaliated with its opposite hand, grabbing hold of Leon.

"Gah!" A groan escaped Leon's throat involuntarily. The massive fist tightened around him like a vice, and within a few seconds, he felt himself being crushed like a tomato.

"Leon!" Chris emerged from the penthouse.

In his fading consciousness, Leon thought about you. The way you smiled whenever you were with him and the sweet perfume you love to use. The way your hands embrace him at night, helping him sleep safely, without any nightmares to harm him. And then, he doesn’t want to die anymore. Please, God, don’t let me die this way. 

Chris picked up the fully automatic handgun that Arias had dropped along the way and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the merged form. For a brief moment, it seemed like the merged form's focus shifted, and its grip loosened slightly, but that was all.

Was my life meant to end here, crushed by this grotesque monster? Leon wondered, his pessimism threatens to shatter him. Leon wasn't the type to easily get this depressed or overthink things too much. Still, he felt more than a little exhausted.

What kind of adult did I want to become when I was a child? I never imagined I would be burdened with the stigma of assassinating a president. At least, I didn't want a life like this ― It doesn't matter what I want. There's no such thing as a person who can live the life they desire. Arias must have felt the same way. In the end…

VI. ABSOLUTION

When he came back, you noticed something inside him had changed. 

After the fight with Arias, Leon noticed that life was much more than death, darkness and depression. At least, he started to think like that when he almost got killed. And his only thought was coming back to you. No, he couldn’t die like that and leave you alone. His arm was injured, but he was alive. And he was back. 

“What happened to your arm?” you asked him when you saw him entering the room. 

“Remember that day in the morgue when you told me I was a badass government agent?” Leon asks you back, sitting on the bed next to you. 

“Yep, I do” you nodded, starting to massage his tense muscles. 

“Well… I’m not this kind of agent. I work under the president’s orders. I fight bioweapons for a living… since that hell in Raccoon City” Leon sighs, finally opening about his job. 

“Bioweapons? Like zombies and shit?” you ask him with curiosity. 

“Worse than zombies, but yes” Leon nodded with a slight smirk. “It’s dangerous, and this time I nearly got killed… thing is, my job requires a lot of my time, it forces me to not be around for God knows how long. It scares me because I don’t know if you can live this chaotic life with me…” 

“Wait, wait, wait… slow down” you held his hand and squeezed it softly. “Everyone deserves a second chance in life, Leon. You were alone for too much time and I don’t mind if you need to go somewhere else to fight bioweapons. If this means I get to see these pretty eyes of yours and this sweet smile every time you come home… I’m willing to live this chaotic life with you” 

Leon couldn’t believe your words. After being deprived of something so human and getting used to it, Leon felt he was about to explode. It was too much for him to handle. At this point, he knew perfectly he was experiencing anxiety. But it was a good one. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt. If we do this, I’m gonna get you wrapped up in something bad someday… and I’ll never forgive myself if this happens” Leon tells you, sounding extremely worried.

“I know you won’t let anything bad happen to me. And besides, I can take care of myself. I made self defense classes” you laugh sweetly, a symphony to his ears. 

“Are you sure?” Leon asks, and those big puppy eyes of his wanting nothing but assurance.

“Honey, if this wasn’t true, I wouldn’t be here” you chuckled, kissing his forehead. 

After what happened, you decided to introduce Leon to your family as your boyfriend. But before that, you convinced him he needed to improve a little. Getting rid of the alcohol was the first step. He started to see a therapist and work harder on his issues, which influenced a lot of your relationship. He was more happy and willing to do things he and you both liked. One year after that incident with his squad being killed and his mission with his friends, you noticed he was ready to meet your parents. 

“I’m nervous” Leon tells you when you both were entering your home. 

“Why? It’s not like we’ve been dating secretly for almost three years. Besides, they’ll think you’re cute, don’t worry” you giggled at him. 

“I’m not so sure about that” he muttered, following you inside your parents place.

You could clearly tell how anxious he was. However, he always felt at ease on your side, and it was like you had the power to make him relax, like nothing could harm him and the world was finally at peace. When you stepped inside the house with Leon right behind you for a Christmas dinner, your parents were already expecting both of you. 

“Mom, dad… this is Leon. The guy I was talking about” you introduced him to your parents with certain expectations. 

“You clearly got my taste for man” Leon heard your mom whispering to you, which made his cheeks turn red. 

“So… um… how long are you two hanging out?” your dad asked and you glanced quickly at Leon. 

“Three years, I guess. We met at the store” you tell your parents. “I didn’t tell you before because Leon has a busy schedule. He’s not always in town, so…” 

“Well, moonpie, if you’re happy, we’re happy too” your mom says with a gracious smile on her lips. 

Leon wasn’t expecting to be so welcomed into your family, but the fact that your parents treated him so kindly melted his heart. He got himself thinking about the dinner for at least one week, mostly because part of him was still thinking it was weird to receive so much kindness and affection, especially coming from a real family. He wasn’t expecting to be playing cards with your dad while you and your mom were in the kitching talking about girl’s stuff, but it was enough to make him see he made the right choice. That it was okay for him to finally experience love. 

“I like your light brown hair now that you finally stopped dying it” you said, sitting between his legs in the living room. 

“My emo era is over” he chuckles sweetly, like a melody. 

“May it rest in peace” you made the signal of the cross. “

“Changing the subject, tomorrow I gotta go to San Francisco. Work stuff” he says to you, softly kissing your neck. 

“Yeah? Am I getting some gift?” you whisper, feeling the shivers down your spine with his lips against your skin. 

“Do I ever go on a mission and come back empty handed?” Leon asks you, his soft lips pressing more against your neck and you can feel him softly biting you. 

The thing is, Leon is like a porcelain doll. He needs to be treated with softness and kindness, because deep down, he is vulnerable. The way his lips met your skin was a clear sign that he was ready for you. He was finally ready to be yours. However, loving Leon also needed patience, and after three years, you could tell he wanted that too. 

“Do you want to do this before you leave, handsome?” you ask him teasingly, holding his hands as he keeps kissing your neck. 

“Yes, I do,” he nods, almost moaning in your ear. 

He gently took you to his bedroom, the place was almost a sanctuary for him. He laid you down on his bed and removed his shirt, and this time, he didn’t seem ashamed of himself. You stood up from his bed and sat him on the edge, your hands trailing down his skin like he was a roller coaster. He closed his eyes, his breath soft and calm, although he anticipated what was about to happen. Leon craved for you. 

“I’ll take care of you” you whispered, leaving soft kisses across his neck and chest. 

You sat gently between his legs, your sweet and soft fingers removing his pants and reaching his already hardened cock. He sat there, observing you with those big and blue puppy eyes, like he was savoring your image. When you took all his length inside your mouth and gently started to suck him, Leon felt he was in heaven. It felt so good, so powerful. 

Tears started to fall from his eyes and he cried. Not because you were hurting him, dear lord, of course not! It was because he finally felt that he deserved to be loved. Your tongue did an amazing job on his cock and when he came, he felt his body at ease. Leon moaned with the sudden sensation, it was stronger than he last remembered. But it was because of you. 

“I love you” he says when you touch his face, wiping his tears. 

Loving Leon needed patience, you knew that already. 

However, living with him brought new challenges that you weren’t expecting at all. He would be gone for weeks, then he comes back out of nowhere. He always forgets to send you a message to let you know he’s coming back, but that’s okay, because his lack of patience to deal with technology amuses you. He always sends an emoji out of context, which makes you laugh and you find it very cute when he gets disappointed for misunderstanding those little and yellow faces. He’s getting there, don’t worry about that. 

When he’s at home, things turn out differently. He always helps you with the chores, likes to tease you whenever you’re cooking his favorite meal and at the end of the day, you two are together on the couch watching some silly movie while he complains about it and softly scratches your leg. Sharing a domestic life was something he never thought he would have, not after everything he went through alone. 

Now that he's back from whatever he did in San Francisco, you have another job to do. Tend to his injuries. It’s a small sacrifice to pay whenever he comes back hurt; this time he has purple marks all over his body and face. You don’t ask what on earth happened, because you know he can’t really give details, but at least he’s safe and sound with you again. 

“Stop moving, old man!” you tell him, trying to clean a small cut he had on his neck. 

“That hurts,” Leon replied back, flinching slightly. 

“I know, but someone has to clean it” you rolled your eyes, applying a Barbie band-aid on his neck. 

“Please, don’t tell me I got the Barbie thing on my neck” Leon closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

“Next time I’ll get you a cat one” you wink playfully at him. 

After so many death experiences and the inner wish of being dead, he’s glad that he found the absolution that he always wanted. He looks at you with amusement, part of him finds it hard to believe that he’s so lucky to have you, but the other part is glad that you are real and you love him for who he really is. You took every damaged part of him and loved with such intensity that it was enough to bring him back from that dark place he was at. He forgave himself, allowed his soul to heal and to be loved. Life had gifted him with the second chance to live, made him see the beautiful things again. You took him in when he was on the lower part of his life, and your love brought him back. He knows he’s getting older, but he doesn’t mind spending his days with you, because you are the only thing in his life that makes sense.

And he’s fine with that. 

[diordeer]

౨ৎ DELICATE

“sometimes i wonder, when you sleep are you ever dreaming of me? sometimes when I look into your eyes, i pretend you're mine all the damn time” - taylor swift (smau)

contains: charlie bushnell x fem!reader who is best friends with taylor swift and stars in the music video of getaway car (taylor’s version)

description: how are we feeling about the tortured poets department??!?!!!??? have i already ordered the vinyl and cd? yes. btw, the link to join my taglist is in my pinned post

requested by: it wont let me tag who requested arggh!

liked by taylorswift, iamcharliebushnell and others

yn.ln my reputations never been worse so, u must like me for me 😉

tagged iamcharliebushnell

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user1 i know gal did not just say a reputation reference in the prime of reputation tv speculations as a friend of taylor swift

iamcharliebushnell a delicate reference i see

↳ yn.ln i’ve taught u well

user2 GUYS I CANT THE FIRST PIC WHERE DO I FIND A MAN LIKE THIS

↳ yn.ln idk i found him in the streets, guess it was a lucky pick 🤷‍♀️

user3 taylor swift liked!!!!! I think we r getting rep tv

↳ user4 no i dont think so bc i reckon it would be super secretive like they wouldnt just have her friend say it for her you know what i mean

↳ user3 let a girl dream 💔

dior.n.goodjohn u guys are so cute it makes me sick to my stomach and want to vomit

↳ leahsavajeffries i second that

↳ iamcharliebushnell so is this a compliment..? orr

user5 i LOVE how wherever one percy jackson cast member goes EVERYONE else follows

↳ dior.n.goodjohn u assume im here for charlie? yn is my bae 😘

↳ yn.ln love ya 😘

↳ iamcharliebushnell 🧍

user6 THE SHOES OMG?!

user7 can we talk ab charlie in the last pic omg

↳ yn.ln ikr 🤭

taylorswift its been a long time coming…

tagged yn.ln

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user1 WHAT OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

selenagomez so proud of u girl 🐍

user2 SET OFF THE ALARMS OMGOMGOMG

yn.ln TAYLOR ILY

haimtheband OH YES

user3 WHY IS YN TAGGED IN THIS OH MY GOD WHATS HAPPENING

user4 READY FOR IT TV IS REAL

blakelively 🖤🖤🖤

user5 THE PHOTOS OMG THIS IS INSANE

sabrinacarpenter YOU GO TAYLOR

↳ user2 i love the swiftverse

user6 do u guys reckon yn will be in a delicate mv??

↳ user7 babe theres already a delicate mv

teddysphotos cant wait!!

user8 the hole for kanye west has just dug so much deeper

comments:

user1 nothing good starts in a getaway car!!

user2 this is everything i imagined and more

user3 YN IN IT?!!

↳ user4 OMG AND THE BRIDGE SCENE

user5 this is too iconic i fear

user6 yn winning at life

↳ user3 PLS i want whatever manifestation method shes got

user7 SNAKES

Liked by dior.n.goodjohn, taylor swift and others

yn.ln im sure you’ve seen getaway car by now, and if you haven’t what are you doing?

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user1 taylor swift and yn ln in a reputation music video together is my roman empire

iamcharliebushnell did u, did u just happen to forget to tell me u were in this mv? 😊😊

↳ yn.ln it was a secreeeettt!

↳ iamcharliebushnell even from me? 😥

↳ user2 👀

↳ yn.ln charlie u r the biggest talker ever if i told i this would be out in a second

↳ aryansimhadri she has a great point

↳ iamcharliebushnell what?!

↳ yn.ln see! Totally justified!

↳ iamcharliebushnell ur not getting away with this one yn 😡

yn.ln guys if i dont post this week charlies killed me, call the police

↳ leahsavajeffries LMAO

taylorswift love you!

↳ yn.ln ugh impossible i love you more

user3 gal took the memo and embodied it

tag list: @lostinhisworld @lizziesfirstwife

[erwinsvow]

bitchy!reader being jealous at a party when she sees rafe talking to some girl and then finding out its a girl he has either slept with in the past or shes been all over him since before they were toghether. Reader makes a scene calling her out for being all over her man

yess but bitchy reader is a menace, she doesnt care abt any girls but she'll be soo mean to rafe abt it😭😭 this has to be pre-dating bc she would never let rafe disrespect her like that & he knows not to

when you catch rafe's eyes again, you feel a familiar sense of self-satisfaction course through your veins. of course he's looking—he should be surprised he can even look away.

you always look great, but today is something special, a pretty strapless dress decorating your body, something similar to the color of rafe's eyes. so, like always, it's no wonder he can't look away.

but you can't let the bastard think he's got you thinking about how often he is looking at you. it's all very confusing, so you don't glance back, trying to stay engrossed in your conversation with your friends. a few drinks and thirty minutes later, your eyes travel back to rafe.

and though he is still looking at you, there's some other girl in front of him, talking to him. the girl you recognize, someone who used to frequent tannyhill. on more than one occasion she's wandered down the kitchen when you and sarah are making waffles and sipping overpriced coffee. when you'd seen her, she'd been in rafe's clothes.

you hadn't cared much then, treated her the same you'd treat anyone. even now, with the girl in front of him trying to capture his attention and the idiot's eyes still on you, you feel the same—mildly annoyed at her, beyond irritated at him.

he thinks he can make you jealous. it's even cute that he's trying. this time you do stare back at rafe, a little annoyed at yourself for thinking about how cute he looks today. you like him in blue, you like that he's matching you.

"why are you staring at my brother?" sarah questions, and you smile in his direction.

"get your shit straight, sarah. he's staring at me." you wave at rafe, smiling sweetly before looking away. you don't have to see his face to know how it fell at your reaction.

"ugh. now he's coming over here. i'm not sticking around for this." you direct your smile at sarah.

"who asked you to stay?" she rolls her eyes at you.

"match made in heaven," she mutters, walking away in the other direction. when rafe approaches you, you stay seated on the couch, sipping your drink and observing your nails. they're baby blue—and you wonder how you'd come to that decision in the salon yesterday. of course, you know the answer.

"what the hell was that?" rafe barks, and you resist the eyeroll for as long as you can. last time he said if you rolled them at him again, he'd slap them out of your head, and though you want to test his theory, you'd prefer it in the privacy of his bedroom.

"just saying hi, rafe. you know i've met that poor girl before, at tannyhill. i'm surprised you even let her sleep over, you seem like the type-"

"can you shut up about her? what the hell was-"

"you already said that. and why would i shut up? you're the one yapping away to her. you know, you must be great in bed."

"excuse me?"

"i mean, you treat a girl that shitty and she's still willing to speak to you? she must remember something good. but knowing you it can't be for the conversation."

"..thanks?"

"you're welcome." you glance up at him again, but your eyes track back to the girl watching the two of you, the one he left behind to come talk to you. "i know you're a dick but don't be a dick. go finish talking to her. it's rude."

"i don't wanna talk to her."

"well, you're not talking to me."

"d'you have to make everything so fuckin' hard?"

"you're the one trying to make me jealous by talking to some poor girl! did you think i'd appreciate that?"

"why can't you just get jealous like you're supposed to?"

"you are such a jackass. maybe if you acted, like, a normal person-"

"oh, you're one to fuckin' talk. normal person my ass. you cuss me out every chance you get-"

"stop engaging in behavior that gets you cussed out then."

"shut up."

"you shut up!"

you both stare at each other for a moment.

"you wanna come to tannyhill with me?"

"yeah. let's go."