𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟯

That Ring on Your Finger Means You're Mine

"Am I doing something wrong? Is it me?" 

I shake my head at my own words, hating how we've now reached the argument stage of our tension that's been building ever since Leon got back from San Francisco. Leon's shoulders only tighten, eyes finding the floor since he knows I'm right. 

"It's not you. It's just the job that's making me this way." He mumbles, face softening in defeat, but that's not an excuse to come back and suddenly keep me at arms length. We used to talk about everything, even when he was drinking heavily, but now he's suddenly closed off from me. I know something scary happened to him on that mission, something that broke a part of him or made him realise a fear, and he doesn't have to tell me exactly what, but something is better than nothing at all. The chasm between us is growing, and I don't know if we're going to be able to fix it. 

"So talk to me!" I exclaim for the millionth time, "Talk to someone, because whatever realisation you had isn't going to help that our marriage isn't going great right now. I know you were scared, but keeping me away isn't going to resolve anything." I let out a defeated sigh as Leon's lips purse together. 

"I know. I know I haven't been a great husband recently, but-" He cuts off as if stopping himself from confessing it all, but when his eyes lift to mine he must see we're hanging on by a thread. Leon slumps onto the sofa, running a hand over his jaw in contemplation. "I almost died in Alcatraz, and I thought that this time I'm not coming home to my wife. I won't get the family I want or to celebrate our anniversary or even taste your cooking again. I got scared, truly fucking terrified. I guess keeping you away was easier than keeping you close knowing I could lose you." He swallows thickly, and the anger dissipates from me, mostly. 

"Thank you for opening up," I softly reply, but then that frustrated part of me has to add "But we're married Leon, that means there is no keeping each other at arms length. Ever. You made a vow to love me forever, and that meant fighting your fear so you can be by my side." 

His face falls, a flicker of guilt crosses his features as but then he steadies himself. "I am by your side. That ring on your finger means you're mine Y/N," He says with a touch of possessiveness, "you belong to me just as much as I do you."

His words send a thrill through me, but then I remember the way I've been hurting recently, blaming myself for his distant love, thinking that maybe I'm just not good enough. It's the worst thing a wife can go through, so I slip off my ring, extending it towards him with a sense of defiance. "Yeah? Well you can put it back in when you've earned the right." I declare, voice trembling as his eyes widen. I half expect him to...I don't know, do something, but instead Leon's gaze lingers on the ring for a second, then he nod, taking my ring from me.

"Alright, I deserve this," He mumbles, taking a shaky breath, "I'll make it up to you, and then this damn ring is going back on your finger and never coming off again." He promises. 

In the days that followed Leon did make on his word. He repaired the cracks in our marriage with gestures of love and devotion, opening up to me about everything within the last few weeks. He surprises me with breakfast in bed one morning, waking me with kisses and the scent of bacon. Then he took me on spontaneous days out, taking time off of work to spend time with me, always touching me and reassuring me that he loves me. It all feels like the early days of our marriage, and I begin to find myself forgiving him easily, glad that my Leon is still there, deep down. It was also the smaller gestures too, like the notes he'd leave me around the house telling me what he loves about me or some cheesy jokes, or the ways he'd randomly pick me up and perch me on any surface before kissing me until I'm grabbing at him and we make love messily.

"Oh fuck, keep going." I moan as Leon holds me up against the wall, my legs wrapped around his waist as he thrusts into me at an agonisingly slow pace. His groans echo in my ears as his forehead rests on my chest, mouth attached to the top of my breast no doubt leaving a mark. 

"You want me to fill you up, my pretty wife?" He rhetorically asks, because he knows exactly what I want. That doesn't stop me from nodding my head anyway, begging him to come inside of me. 

"Yes! Let me give you the baby you want." I blubber.

My walls clench around him as I cry out, head falling back hitting the wall as Leon speeds up, the sound of our skin slapping fills the entry hall, a picture frame beside us crashes to the ground making both of us laugh through our orgasms. Leon's come drips out of me, but it doesn't matter, there's still a chance I can get pregnant. We both pant, eyes meeting in some kind of understanding of what we just did, we've never even planned a specific time to have kids, but now is as good as time as ever. I clear my throat, then he sets me down on shaky legs, both of us now realising how sudden and unexpected that was. 

"Uhhh," Leon drawls, "guess we're building our family then?" He smiles hopefully. I let out a small laugh, nodding as he wraps his arms around me, then he carries me to the bathroom.

One night, as we lie in bed, the moon shining through the curtains, Leon grabs my ring from under his pillow and takes my hand in his, his touch gentle as he slips the ring back on my finger. "I love you Y/N," He whispers, "and I promise I won't let my fear drive me away again, I've got you right now, and I need to remember that. I'm sorry I fucked up." He says with a raw honesty.

I nod, smiling as I wrap my arms around him, my lips pecking his throat. "I love you too, I forgive you." Leon had proved himself once again, and I knew that he just let his mind get in the way, something he often battles with, but this time like the others he conquered it. We embrace, breathing each other in, barely an inch of space between us from the skin to skin contact, and I knew that with this ring back on my finger our commitment to each other was a strong one. "Besides," I add with a happy smile, "our baby needs you around."

Leon pulls back, staring at me with shock and such joy. He fist bumps the air, then kisses me like he adores me.