Leon should have known something was up the second he stepped foot in the FOS office and people starting greeting him, smiles on their faces. Had he been more popular around the office, he would have thought nothing of it. But considering he was known as the "Office Grump" by almost everyone except Sherry, Helena, and Hunnigan, and most people tried to avoid him as much as they could, he found it odd that people were greeting him warmly today. It was also strange that people were snickering at him, making him even more suspicious. Shit, they didn't do anything to his office, did they?
He came in today with coffees in a carrier, having been nice enough to pick up drinks for Sherry, Helena, and Hunnigan. To be honest, though, he did this for them every other morning, considering it was usually Sherry or Helena who picked up coffee the other days. Hunnigan seemingly never left the office and Leon was starting to think the poor overworked woman lived here more than she lived at her own house. There were those special occasions where she had days off, but they were almost always interrupted by disasters and terrorist attacks.
The brunette felt someone clap a hand on his shoulder, causing Leon to regain his focus as to not drop the coffees. Some guy asked though chuckles about how his morning was going so far, causing the DSO Agent to raise a brow. Saying that it was going good so far before asking why. The man and his buddies chuckled, telling the younger that it was about to get a whole lot better before walking away. Leon asked what the man had meant by that, but the man just kept walking.
Shit, something was definitely wrong. On April Fool's Day, someone had plastic wrapped his door while he was in the office itself. He hadn't been paying attention, so when he opened the door, he got caught in the plastic wrapping. The brunette had to cut his way out and spent the day looking over his shoulder. Today was Valentine's Day, something he only knew because Chris had given him a card, a single rose, and a box of chocolates before he left this morning. The man had only given him a peck on the lips, explaining that he had to rush over early to the BSAA HQ for an emergency.
So, maybe his morning hadn't been completely good. Leon appreciated the gifts, but he would have loved to have spent some time with the elder this morning. Maybe get some breakfast before work, but Chris had left in such a rush that the brunette didn't really get a chance to say goodbye. And these buggers giggling and muttering about him every time he walked by bothered him even more.
"Hi Leon! Happy Valentine's Day!" Sherry exclaimed, hugging him tightly. She wore a light pink sweater with red hearts all over it and a white scarf. Little heart earrings jingled in her ears.
The elder chuckled, hugging her back, "Happy Valentine's Day, Sherry. Hey, is something up? People are acting really strange this morning." Leon asked, handing her one of the cups of coffee.
She accepted it with a smile and a giggle, "Maybe everyone is in a good mood today. There hasn't been an incident for a couple of days, so maybe that, and the fact that it's Valentine's Day put people in high spirits. Hey, have you been…?" she asked.
Helena came up from behind to shush her, taking one of the coffees from Leon. She wore a black t-shirt with "Free Hugs" written in bright pink letters underneath of her dress coat, "There's heart-shaped, cream and chocolate filled doughnuts in the break room. Someone bought a whole bunch of them for the whole office, if you're interested." Helena said, sipping the black coffee before leaning against the desk behind her.
The brunette looked between the two women, now highly suspicious. Why did Helena shush Sherry? "Um, thanks for the heads up. Is there something no one's telling me? I just saw that guy, I think his name is Dave, and he asked me about my morning and told me my morning is "About to get better" and then left laughing. Did they do something to my office again?" Leon asked.
Helena and Sherry exchanged looks before looking back toward the man, the blonde girl smiling while the brunette shrugged nonchalantly. Helena hadn't heard anything, but maybe Leon going to be called off for an assignment. Another one of those "Guard the President's Kids while the President was away" mission. He would have to ask Hunnigan when he saw her. Leon shuddered, hoping that would be the case. The last time he did one of those, the Nanny was out and the President's six year-old daughter forced him into dress up and tea time while the President's ten year-old son sat there and laughed at the older male.
Word had gotten out to the office about the assignment, and some people around the office still referred to him as "Princess". Now the brunette was dreading his visit to Hunnigan's office. Nonetheless, he still had a coffee he had to drop off, so he told the women that he would be right back. Helena and Sherry decided to follow him, saying that they wanted to visit Hunnigan as well and bid her a Happy Valentine's Day. With a roll of his eyes, Leon allowed it, knowing that he wouldn't be given much of a choice. What was with everyone today?
Stepping into Hunnigan's office, he was surprised to see strands of hearts hanging from the ceiling. She turned to Leon with a smile, greeting the agents as they walked into the small space. He also noticed several large vases of roses sitting along the window sill behind her and on her desk. He teasingly asked her if she had secret admirers. The woman rolled her eyes, saying that she had been getting them all morning. She would have to start putting them out in the hallway soon.
Leon handed her the coffee, "Nice decorations." He said, pointing up at the paper hearts.
Hunnigan chuckled and rolled her eyes, "It was Agent Birkin's and Harper's idea." She said, playfully glaring at the two younger women.
Sherry whistled nonchalantly while Helena simply said she still wasn't sorry. Leon chuckled, throwing out the carrier while just holding his own coffee. He asked if there were any assignments he should know about, feeling a pit in his stomach. Ingrid looked at her computer, looking at several files. With a shake of her head, she noticed that there wasn't anything for him this week, just some light paperwork to finish. With a sigh of relief, Leon relaxed and leaned against her desk. Thank the gods, but that didn't explain why everyone was laughing.
"Actually…it says here I'm supposed to let you leave early today. Some time around four-thirty." Hunnigan reported.
Leon raised a brow, "Huh?" he asked, looking over the screen.
Looking over the e-mail, he saw that it came from an unknown sender…within the BSAA. He was also supposed to check his office for an important file and send it over immediately. After that, he was to go home and prepare for another assignment. The brunette thought about Chris rushing out of the apartment this morning due to an emergency, wondering if the two were connected. With another sigh, Leon said he would check for this "supposedly important file" as soon as possible. After he got a doughnut out of the break room to eat with his coffee.
Watching the male leave, the three women waited until he was out of ear-shot before speaking again, "He has no idea about his office, does he?" Hunnigan asked.
Helena smiled, "Not a clue." Helena said, watching as Leon rounded the corner.
The women burst out laughing. Hunnigan told them to keep the door open so they could listen to Leon's reaction to the surprise that awaited him. His office was right next to Hunnigan's after all. Dave ducked his head in, asking if Kennedy had been in his office yet. Sherry shook her head, smile growing wider. The man laughed even harder, saying that Leon was going to flip.
The brunette made it back to his office, taking a sip of his coffee before biting into the chocolate filled doughnut. Leon glanced at Hunnigan's open door, but thought nothing of it, reaching for the key to his own office. The doughnut was caught between his teeth as he fiddled with the keys. Finding the right one, he inserted it into the lock and opened the door.
Blue eyes widened at the sight before him. The doughnut fell from his mouth and landed on the floor with a dull thud. He was so shocked he nearly dropped his coffee all over his blue dress shirt, leather jacket, and black dress pants. There had to be a thousand or so red roses in his office, lined up from wall to wall. Some hung from the ceiling in heart shaped wreaths, petals littering the floor and his desk. It was like a damn forest of them in here. The entire room filled with the aroma of fresh roses. There was a very large vase on his desk, at least three dozen red and pink roses sat inside of it.
"What the absolute hell…" Leon said out loud, hand running through his hair.
He heard laughter in the office next to him, causing him to glare in the direction. He heard footsteps outside of his door, Sherry, Hunnigan, Helena, and Dave peeking inside of his office, either smiling or laughing. The brunette demanded to know who the hell did this.
"Check the card, genius." Helena deadpanned.
"What card…oh." Leon said, looking back down at the vase and noticing a little pink tag hanging off the bow.
There was also a red envelope on his desk, his name written in neat cursive across it. Taking both cards in hand, the little pink card simply said "I love you, Happy Valentine's Day." The card in the red envelope said, "Sorry for leaving in such a rush this morning. I hope you understand now why I left so early. See you when you get home. I have another surprise for you." Leon didn't need to have psychic abilities to know just who left him the cards and roses.
"Chris showed up at the crack of dawn this morning with two trucks full of roses. Hunnigan let him into your office and he, Jill, DC, and Nadia did all this. Sheva stood outside to watch for your car. You had just missed them actually. They also brought the doughnuts in order to bribe everyone's silence until you got here." Sherry explained, still smiling at the elder.
Leon had mixed feelings about all this, still staring down at the card in his hands. On one hand, he was silently annoyed, having to deal with all of these roses and having to work around all of them. On the other hand, his heart fluttered in his chest, finding the gesture sweet and adorable. His big teddy bear of a boyfriend did all of this…for him. And apparently there was more waiting for him at home. The brunette sudden felt bad for only getting Chris a card and tickets to the hockey game this weekend here in DC.
"Damn it, Redfield." The brunette muttered under his breath, wiping away a sappy happy tear on the back of his fingerless glove.
Four-thirty rolled around much quicker than he thought it would, Hunnigan reminding him that he had to be out of here, having finished his work load for the day. Leon asked about the roses, but she waved him off, telling him that Jill and Sheva would be back for them around five. Leon nodded, carrying the vase of thirty-six roses out with him. He told her to have a Happy Valentine's Day, asking about her plans for later. She and Helena would be going out for drinks apparently. Sherry would have come, but she had a date with a Mr. Muller.
With another nod, Leon left. He stood outside of the apartment, fumbling with his keys while trying not to tip the vase over. Once unlocked and slightly opened, Leon pushed the door open with his foot. The door hit something, and he heard a groan. Peeking around the door, the brunette saw Chris holding his head in pain. He cursed, setting the vase down on the nearby table, shutting the door and holding Chris's head in his hand while the other rubbed the red spot on his forehead.
"Shit! I'm so sorry, Chris." Leon apologized, kissing the red mark.
The elder chuckled, "I guess you can say you were literally hitting on me." He joked.
The younger rolled his eyes but smiled, kissing the taller man on the lips. Chris wrapped his arms around the shorter, guiding him into the dining room area. The brunette didn't miss the candles burning all around them and he could smell something good cooking in the kitchen. The raven-haired male asked him about the surprise he left him in his office. Leon pouted, saying that it was a sweet gesture, but his coworkers wouldn't shut up about it. Nonetheless, the brunette loved it. He was a tad disappointed that he didn't get to enjoy any of the doughnuts though.
Chris chuckled, promising to buy him more. Guiding Leon into a chair, he informed him that they were having a steak dinner tonight with wine he had picked up while in Italy last month. And for dessert, the elder had picked up chocolate covered strawberries from that chocolate place they frequented. Leon moaned, saying that all sounded delicious.
"You spoil me, Chris." He said, "And now I feel bad because you did all this and I only got you a card and tickets to the game this weekend." He said with a pout.
Brown eyes widened, "The Hockey Game that's here in DC? The sold-out one?" he asked.
Leon blushed, "Yeah, I got two tickets in one of the box seats."
Lips crashed down against his, causing his heart to flutter again, "Babe…that's awesome! Thank you!" Chris said, hugging the brunette tightly, "Besides, I love spoiling you. You deserved to be spoiled once and a while."
Leon's blush deepened, a sigh of relief leaving him. He really did love this man. He seemed like an intimidating brute, but really he was just a gentle giant with a big heart. Once the steak was done, Chris served them dinner and wine. They exchanged idle conversation, asking about work and discussing plans for this weekend. Chris also informed the younger that after dinner and dessert, they could relax in the tub.
"I'd like that." Leon said, sipping his wine.
Dinner went by smoothly. Dessert had been a bit messy. They ate the strawberries in the living room, feeding them to each other. Leon kept teasing the elder, tongue running over Chris's fingers and sucking them, leading to the elder tackling him to the couch and a equally messy make-out session. There was chocolate and strawberry juice all along Leon's lips, throat and chest, leaving him feeling sticky. They had abandoned the strawberries in favor of a bath in the tub.
"I need to get this chocolate off of-ME!" Leon hollered before Chris hoisted him up into his arms, one arm under his back and the other under his legs.
They both laughed, Leon holding on to the elder's neck, playfully telling the other to put him down or not to drop him as he was carried to the bathroom. Along the way, they shared a couple of sweet kisses. The elder finally put Leon down, more candles lit in here as the younger noticed there were rose petals in the tub. Chris turned on the faucet before turning to the brunette.
"Let me?" Chris asked, fingers reaching out to unbutton the tight fitting dress shirt Leon wore.
Leon let him, his own hands removing his gloves before helping the elder out of his black t-shirt. Chris paused to allow the article of clothing to come off. Leon's hands ran over the expanse of skin underneath his finger tips, admiring and studying every scar and curve. He ran his fingers over a bullet scar on Chris's right pectoral, before leaning in to kiss it. He felt his shirt being slid off of his shoulders, head being pulled away so Chris could trail his lips and teeth down the younger's throat and chest some more.
"Chris…" Leon whispered, feeling hands undoing his belt.
Once both of them had been stripped of their clothes, Chris settled into the tub first, shutting the faucet off. He then held out a hand for Leon to join him. The brunette stepped in, settling in between Chris's legs with his back pressed against the barreled chest behind him. He felt the elder's length press against him, strong arms wrapping around his lithe form. He leaned back as Chris kissed and sucked his neck, one of his large hands finding Leon's length. It stroked him slowly, drawing a whimper from the younger man. The hand paused so that they could properly bathe.
"We'll finish this in the bedroom, where your last surprise is. I promise. For now, just relax." Chris whispered, massaging shampoo into Leon's scalp.
Blue eyes slid shut, leaning back and basking in that gentle feeling of strong hands massaging and taking care of his body.
After draining the tub, Leon was wrapped in a warm fluffy towel, watching as Chris wrapped a towel around his own waist. An arm was wrapped around his waist, guiding him into the bedroom. There were rose petals and candles here too, gentle piano music playing in the background. How many roses did Chris buy? Not that the brunette was complaining, he was genuinely curious. It seemed like there were petals everywhere.
"There' s a lot of roses and petals everywhere. How many did you buy?" Leon chuckled, letting Chris lay him back on the bed and on the pillows.
"Enough to symbolize how much you mean to me," Chris said, cupping Leon's face, "since the day I met you, I knew you were special. After finding out that you kept Claire safe and then meeting you in person, I admit, I doubted you. I thought I loved Jill, but the more I got to know you, and after everything we've been through, I knew it was you. People have come and gone in my life, from heartbreak to deaths, but you were the one constant."
Leon felt tears in his eyes, "Chris…" he whispered again, cupping the elder's face in both his hands.
The elder reached a hand next to Leon's head, slipping underneath of the pillow. His hand wrapped around the object he was looking for, pulling it out. Blue eyes watched the small velvet box in the elder's hand, widening in shock. Chris explained that he was going to wait to do this, but after New York, he didn't want to wait, afraid it would be too late by then. He didn't want to lose the brunette before he had the chance to ask. Was that…? His question was answered when Chris opened it, brown eyes looking into his own. Inside, a silver band sat in a white cushion.
"Leon Scott Kennedy, will you marry me?"