Unlikely Salvation (L.K)

Arrival.

By the time you and Leon had made it into your shared apartment, you were extremely tired. Setting your bag down by the door, you flopped down onto the couch and laid your head back, happy to finally be home.

The DSO was gracious enough to allow you and Leon to have the next three days off, but you would both be back in to do a paperwork, training, and whatever else the DSO was willing to throw at you. Leon settled down on the couch beside you, laying his head back as well, and the two of you sat in silence before Leon piped up.

“There’s a steakhouse in town that serves some pretty good stuff.”

You nibbled on your bottom lip in thought, debating on whether or not you wanted to go out. You hummed softly after a moment.

“I think I just want to sit in for right now. It’s been a pretty eventful couple of days.”

Leon had to agree, and he sighed for a moment. He, admittedly, was hungry and he wasn’t sure what was in the fridge (you were the one who did the grocery shopping). So, Leon stood up and stated with a slight grin on his face.

“Alright, homemade it is.”

You picked your head up, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow as Leon went to the fridge. You watched as he picked out steak and other ingredients for yummy sides, and you were astonished to watch him get to work.

There was a part of you that was worried he was going to freak out over the meat like he did back in the cabin, but surprisingly, Leon was normal as he worked on seasoning the steak and getting everything cut up. Standing up, you announced to him, rubbing the back of your neck.

“I’m going to go ahead and get changed. I’m pretty tuckered out.”

Leon looked over at you and nodded, holding up a pair of tongs.

“I’ll be here.”

He smiled lightly at you, and you simply blinked before smiling at him, nodding. When you got to your room, you quietly shut the door before sitting down onto your bed.

And for the first time in what seemed like months, you finally let your shoulders relax and you cried. Tears came falling down your face like a river, head in your hands as you quietly sobbed. All the memories, all the pain, all the suffering that you had endured came crashing down onto you, and you swore that your heart had never felt so heavy in your life.

Why did tragedy have to follow you? It was like the second you thought that you had finally escaped from it all, it came crashing back onto your doorstep. While you didn’t regret meeting Leon, there was a part of you that wondered if life would have turned out differently had you never come across him in the snow.

The thought made you feel so guilty, remembering the way he had been halfway buried, his hair and eyelashes and beard frozen, fingers and toes frozen. The hospital gown on his body bloody and sticking to his body, frozen against his skin and the way his pincers were frozen in uncomfortable directions. You could still remember how underweight he was before he had begun to eat when in your care.

Meeting Leon was a blessing moreso than a curse, you had to think. While yes, Leon crashing into your life reopened many doors you had tried so hard to keep shut, it was because of him that perhaps having to face the past once and for all wasn’t all that bad.