Leon tossed and turned between blankets and pillows before finally waking up from his brief nap, his hair stuck out in all different directions. I found myself trying not to stare at the slightest bit of skin that was revealed above his t-shirt as he stretched.
"Good morning, princess" I scoffed as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, still slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep. He's been stressed about the Police Academy, and- as much as I hate to admit it, me moving to Boston.
That's the thing about Leo- he's the most selfless person I know. Constantly worrying about completely irrelevant factors of others rather than himself. The boy doesn't mentally take care of himself. He hasn't been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, but I know Leon like the back of my hand. It got so bad that he nearly dropped out of school, going to apply to McDonald's.
In a way, I like to think that the Arklay Mountains murders revived his passion- somehow reignited the fire that made me fall in love with him all those years ago. I mean, look at him now. He's strong, healthy, happy- at least I hope. On his way to being a Raccoon City Police Officer and serve the city proud, like he's always dreamed of.
When we were younger, the only game Leon wanted to play was cops and robbers. Leon and I refused to be the robbers, so we would invite every kid on the block to be the robbers while Leon and I were the cops. Fighting crime, shooting our water guns and using water balloons as grenades. Leon's prized possession was a pair of metal handcuffs he got in a cheap police officer toy set at the Dollar Store. Whenever he got the chance to use them, you were guaranteed to be in handcuffs by the end of the hour.
"Morning" Leon breathed out, wrapping an arm around my waist and the other holding him up as his chin rested against my shoulder.
"I've always loved that picture" His voice cutting in and out, warm breath against my neck. Simply humming in response, I looked over at the form beside me. Taking in each and every one of his features- the transparent freckles scattered across his tanned cheeks, the peach fuzz beneath his ears, the dent in the middle of chin, pale rose lips. Every single aspect of Leon was art.
"What's with the stare?" He lifted his head from my shoulder.
"Nothing, I-" I shook my head, letting out a breath.
"I just really love you, Leon"
Leon was never the one to openly express how he truly felt. "I love you's" were rare, for it was usually said through physical actions rather than verbal. Holding each others' hands when they're shaking, telling a dumb joke just to make the other smile, sharing a drink with the same straw, getting a coffee just the way they like it. It's the little things. It's always been the little things.
Whenever one of us would get scraped up or hurt when playing, the other would always come rushing towards their side. It was usually me who was putting the Neosporin and Flash Gordon bandaids on Leon. I was always the cautious one, uncertain if we should explore that abandoned tunnel or travel too far on our bikes. But if it wasn't for Leon, I would have never had the unforgettable experiences that I have held in my memories today. I wouldn't have that stack of Polaroids. He always encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, but if it was too much, he knew. He would back off when he needed to back off, and egg on when he needed to egg on. Everything from cliff diving for the first time to staying out past curfew- I had all those amazing memories thanks to Leon.
"I love you too, Ruth"
The arm wrapped around my waist pulled my body down towards the mattress. Leon's form towered over me, one hand intertwined with mine and the other cupped against my jaw. It was magic how perfectly our lips fit together- like the last two pieces of a 1,000 piece puzzle.
