𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Ready to Take On the World Once More

Leon's POV:

I lean back into the sofa, breathing out a long sigh as my daughter sits on the floor scribbling with her crayons. My wife hovers in the doorway, anxiously chewing her nail as if worried on my behalf. No matter how much I try to reassure her I'm fine and not a ticking time bomb, she still sees right through my lies. It's one of the downsides to marrying the perfect woman; she always knows me too well.

I close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves and the constant feeling of guilt that's been chewing away at me since I came back from the failed mission. Too many people died under my watch, and they didn't need to. What's worse is that the mission only failed because there was a mole in our team, someone chose to save themselves over fifteen others, and only I survived to find out the grousome details.

Exhaustion weighs me down, making me feel heavy and weak. I've overworked myself yet again, and I'm not letting myself recover before hopping onto the next job or coming home and hiding everything from my family. My daughter has no idea what I do for a living, and I make sure I'm always in a fit state to be her dad. It's worth the sleepless nights and suppression, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy.

I open my eyes to find both girls staring at me with concern lacing their features. Somehow my kid knows me damn well too, or maybe this time I just can't hide the coat of sadness and frustration that practically oozes from me, the nightmares and reality seem to blur these days, and coming home sometimes feels like stepping into a dream, it reminds me that this perfect home I've got only lasts for as long as I keep fighting to protect them.

"Daddy?" My daughter asks worriedly, her fingers tighten around the blue crayon in her hands as my wife finally emerges into the living room, plastering on a motherly smile as she kneels on the floor and tries go get her attention. Y/N knows when I need to be alone with my thoughts, but my kid doesn't seem to register it.

I finally shake away the memories plaguing me as I nod and sit up, stretching my back before I slide off of the sofa and onto the floor. No matter how hard life gets, I'll never abandon my role as a dad, I'll always put her first, even if it means dealing with my own baggage last. She deserves a father who's here for her, so I curve my lips and reach out to ruffle her hair as she blinks at me in confusion.

"What's up kiddo?" I murmur, noticing how my wife's eyes dart from me to our baby girl. She doesn't pry or comment, instead she just lingers and gives me the chance to take control of the situation, but I can tell she's ready to jump in if needed. D/N brings herself to her feet, her little body still so small and delicate as her head sits in level with my neck, I lower my head, arching a brow as I wait for some random question or imaginary game.

She swallows, looking shy as she averts her eyes downwards then mumbles "I love you." Her voice is barely audible as her cheeks flush, it's not what I expected her to say, but it's surprisingly what I needed to hear. She sneaks a peek up at me as Y/N's lips part, her eyes shine as she holds back tears of pure adoration for our little miracle. Instantly, all my bad feelings and tiredness disappears, instead replaced by nothing but love and wonder for my little human.

"I love you too, sweetheart." I murmur, my mouth lifting in a grin as she giggles in delight. I open my arms, scooping her up and onto my lap as she hugs me, burying her face in my chest as Y/N scoots over and joins the cuddle. She rests her head on my shoulder as I dip my chin and press a kiss to my baby's head before pecking my wife's forehead. "I love you both, more than anything in the world." I correct myself, basking in the warmth that fills me. Yet again, my family gives me the uplift I need to keep going and conquering onwards.

After some time D/N's attention begins to waver, and she crawls off of me to go back to her drawings. Y/N sticks by my side on the floor, fingers weaving with my own as she softly asks "Feeling better?"

I huff a laugh to hide the thickness in my voice. "Yeah," I reply, "a lot better." She nods as if pleased by my answer, then leans on me as I wrap an arm around her shoulders. After tough missions I used to isolate myself, I even turned to alcohol sometimes to numb the pain, but now I turn to my family, who are always there to pick me up again even when they don't realise it.

Y/N and I get roped into playing some imaginary game with our little girl as she dances around the living room pretending to be a unicorn, I don't question it, instead I savour the happiness and normalcy of home life for as long as I can, even if it means slipping on a tiara over my dark hair. I know the memories of my past mission will come back to haunt me at some point- maybe tonight, or in a week, or maybe in a couple of years- but I know I'll move on as I always do.

Eventually Y/N and I put our daughter to bed before calling it a night ourselves, now the energetic spark is gone I expect to feel everything negative come rushing back, but Y/N is there to fill the void of loneliness and isolation. She snuggles up to me in bed, draping herself over me as I blow out a breath and run a hand over my stubble. This time, the fatigue that comes also brings along a sense of contentment.

"Our daughter loves you so much, you're her hero, Leon." Y/N whispers, pressing a delicate kiss to my throat. I nod, pulling her closer to me.

"I'm so lucky to have you both, I'd be lost without my two girls keeping me grounded and giving me hope that the fighting is worth it. I promise I'll never let you down, I love you." I reply, closing my eyes as I finally feel at peace and ready to take on the world once more.