Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Resident Evil characters, Capcom does. (this doesn't include the OC's that will be mentioned along the way.)
It's 2:14 in the morning, and both Leon and Claire are sitting on the floor just outside the triplet's nursery, her on the right and him on the left side of the door, having prepared diapers and baby bottles filled with breastmilk. They both have their eyes closed but tries to stay conscious as they wait for another cry from one of the babies, from what they've learned from the past two days that the triplets have been brought home and the sleepless nights, one of them needs to go in as quickly as possible and retrieve the distressed newborn from the room so the other two would not wake up as well.
Sure, Claire has a baby monitor installed in her bedroom and Leon can hear their infants' wails from the living room couch where he is currently sleeping as he stays over for the month, which is also just a few inches away from both parents, but they knew...once a triplet starts- the others will follow and it would be chaos in the middle of the night, it had happened before- their first night from when they arrived from the hospital, they took Barry's advise and chilled for a little while, unpacked stuff, prepared necessities, bathed the triplets, fed them every three hours, then they went to sleep before it fell dark. The new parents even got the time to care for themselves and clean up, Leon settled in the living room, he and Claire shared a meal and small talk before they went to bed around 8pm as well. What they didn't know is that- it wouldn't be that simple.
At 9:01 pm, in Claire's room, as she slumbered, her baby monitor alerted her that Chloe had started to get fuzzy, so she immediately tended to her daughter as well as Leon who had also gotten up as Christopher wailed a few minutes after his sister did, both newborns were hungry and their mother breastfed the girl while the father bottle-fed their eldest son. And how thankful they were that their youngest isn't that demanding like his siblings when he needs something, he only whimpers a bit when he really needs to and he's the one they barely pick up to comfort. This had gone similarly on for two days as the routine remained the same...the only difference is the older Redfield and Kennedy got more and more tired throughout.
They didn't expect it to be a walk in the park either since they already know that babies- much more three would be a handful of responsibility, that is also the reason Leon decided to stay a month and aid Claire...he also loved the idea that he gets to see them more everyday- his kids and their mother, even tricking the government into extending his leave to a month with the help of the one and only Ingrid Hunnigan once more, she is a good friend, and the man couldn't thank her enough. But going back to the present situation at hand...they are very much surviving as newbie parents- hanging by a thread as he would describe it from the lack of sleep. He also couldn't imagine how Claire is doing right now by his side, he turned his head and opened his eyes to look at her. She has her eyes closed, but he can tell that she's somehow awake since she was holding the pump that is almost full, she produces a good amount of milk, enough for the three babies they have and they are very much thankful for that, having been hearing that some of the other mothers produce almost less to none.
"Claire?", he called quietly, not wanting to wake her up if she is sleeping, but enough to catch her attention if she is conscious and she did flinch and turned her head to his side, opening her eyes as well. She looked tired and he didn't want to see her like that, "You can go back to the room if you need to, I can stay here.", he suggests and she shakes her head.
"No, Leon- I can still stay up.", she mumbled enough for him to hear as she looks down at the pump and unlatches it from her breast as well as putting down her black tank top and she also lifts the pump container to see how much she produced then she got up to go to the kitchen and transfer the milk to a bottle to refrigerate, they had already warmed up an amount that they need to give them at their next scheduled feeding time.
"Seriously, you need to rest, I can handle this.", Leon spoke up once more, insisting this time he stood up as well, approaching Claire.
"I already told you my answer...and I need to care for them too, make up for the time I couldn't.", she said while refrigerating the contents.
"It's fine Claire-", he insisted again as he stood behind her but not in an uncomfortable distance.
"Leon.", she turned to him, looking up at him and he could only bob his head, not wanting to irritate her and she passed him to flop on the couch that he is using as a bed. He glanced back at her and her actions said otherwise as she looked so fatigued, he once again followed her as he walked over and sat beside her.
"I know we haven't really been on good terms since- you gave birth but I just want to say that...you've been doing really great as a first time mom and I honestly don't know how you do it.", he paused and Claire lift her head to gaze and listen to him, "I've cared for them in the hospital, been taught basic things I need to know, helped with their first bath as well but- you make it look so easily and you've only been caring for them for almost three days."
Claire smirked at his statement, "It's nice that you think that Leon, and I do have experience with taking care of children...but I think I wouldn't have been able to survive these first few nights without the help of their father.", she locked eyes with him, scooting over closer to him as she somehow placed her hand on his, "Don't give me that much credit Scott because- from my perspective...you are the better parent out of the two of us.", she called him by his second name, she is the only one who goes to him by that whenever she teases him because she knows he hated that name, it sounds so generically white to him and his father gave him it...but when she refers to him by that- it seemed to have been just an inside joke between them now.
"Thank you if you also think that Claire- and since I don't want for us to argue on which one of us is the better parent...let's just say that we make a great team and we both try to be the best parents we can be.", Leon smiled at her, turning his hand to hold hers...but she pulled away and that's when he realized what he did, "I-...I'm sorry.", he apologized quickly before looking away embarrassed, they are co-parents...nothing more- he needs to remind himself that...but Claire might've said otherwise despite her previous action.
"I- I know I shouldn't have intervened on anything regarding what's happening between you and Ada back then but- she broke into my home, it became my business as well when she did.", she paused, sighing.
"No Claire, you deserve to know, she came back for me- not to hurt you or anything like that...and if she did do something to you back then when you were pregnant- I would've fought her to death.", he looked at the ground, he wants to tell her the truth now and he will not linger around anymore, "When I met her back at my condominium...she made choices, it's either I run away with her or- I pick you and the kids but...I wouldn't see her ever again.", he revealed and she turned away, like she doesn't want for him to see her face.
"And who did you choose?", she asked with a shaky voice as she puts her closed hand over her mouth, trying to soothe herself, she's afraid that he might answer that he chose Ada and that this will be the last month he would spend with them, but she tries to be strong...she doesn't have any right to hold him back either- they are not together, they never even got together...but worse than that, she fears that her children will lose their father.
"I- didn't give her an answer, Claire.", he looked at her, waiting for her to turn her head back at him, he wanted to lock eyes at her and he waited minutes before she did, "And if she ever returns for my decision...I will tell her that I choose you and the triplets."
She puts her hands down and gazes at him, the sincerity...she believes him- and it made her tear up, "But- I hope you're not just feeling like you have a commitment to us, I want you to pick who you are happy with as well...you're still my friend and I want what's best for you."
She still considers him as her friend and he smiled at this...from thinking they are only co-parents to her confirming that they are back as friends, it was back and forth and confusing but he is overjoyed to know this once more, "You are- I mean...you and the kids are what's best for me. Like what I said- I feel like I'm myself whenever I'm around you...and the kids. I didn't feel this with her at all, and after decades- only now did I saw that- did I wake up from the delusion...I know I was lost, but I finally found myself now.", he stated truthfully, Ada was enchanting- he thought...but it was all in the past now. If he looks at her now, it was all pretty much gone, and his relationship with the mysterious woman was built out of manipulations, lies, secrets, and just pure luck that they even come across each other every once in a few years...it felt like a job that you aren't passionate about but you just needed it, he doesn't anymore- he's got Claire and his three newborns. Claire is present- like what he said a million times, she's always a call away and now- she gave him everything, they feel like everything he needs in this world, and that his world would collapse if he loses them...he's complete with them, "I love you- and the triplets, Claire."
"I- we love you too, Leon.", she replied as they both teared up... mutual understandings are the best they can do now, their platonic mutual love for each other and their love for their children. After confessions, they sat their silence for a while, before they heard what they were waiting for- a cry from the nursery and both stood up to run at the door towards the room, Leon ahead of Claire but he stopped before he could collide with the material and because of this, the woman bumped on his back forcefully than expected causing for the door to swing open eventually from their weight as both adults fell down thud, before that- Leon miraculously had time to look back and fall on his back, perhaps because of his reflexes but his first instinct was to catch Claire...not let her get hurt and he did, he wrapped his arms around her as he fell on his back, he took the impact, felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs as Claire also falls on top of him, but he didn't let go of her...despite the shock from what happened- they locked eyes, the same thing that occurred to them in past times once more did at the moment, 2006, the night the triplets were conceived- now in 2022, friends; co-parents...but there's no time for that as the loud noise they made caused for all three kids to get fuzzy, further on reminding them that they're supposed to act upon it, although both felt mutual that they wanted to stay a little longer in one another's embrace.
Claire got up first, as her mother's instinct kicked in when she heard her kids all so distressed and Leon soon followed as he stood up, looking at her who was already trying to calm her daughter down in her arms, "I'm sorry about that Claire-", he apologized.
"No time for that now, it's three out of three babies.", she interrupted him and he nodded.
"I'll get the bottles from the kitchen.", he remarks and she bobs her head to him before turning her attention back to her tiny daughter and the father jogged back outside the nursery and into the kitchen, grabbed three freshly warmed up milk as he goes back to tend to his newborns with their mother. It's going to be a very long and sleepless few hours, weeks, even months, but he wouldn't have it any other way.