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Chris was in the garage.
He had been in there for a few hours now, working on his motorcycle. While normally that wouldn't worry Leon, the look in his husband's eyes as he left the main part of the house wasn't right. And with it being the anniversary of the Mansion Incident, Leon was even more worried.
Biting the inside of his cheek, he made the both of them simple turkey sandwiches, making Chris' the way he knew he liked his: with cheese, mayo, and onion. He took out some leftover pasta salad from the fridge as well. When both of their meals were on plates, Leon sighed. He hoped Chris was okay. But if he wasn't, he would be there for him.
Walking loud enough for Chris to hear, he grabbed the man's portion and went to the connected garage door, knocking before entering.
He saw Chris' shirtless back first, hunched over his bike. Normally the sight of his chiseled body made him swoon but right now all he could see was the sweat despite the slight chill, the slight tremor in his limbs as he moved. The breathing that wasn't quite steady.
Leon swallowed. “Chris, I made us some lunch. You okay?” He knew he wasn't, that much was clear, but he didn't want to overwhelm him.
His husband swallowed and then turned around to him, his bloodshot eyes meeting his own. He looked…tired. The age lines around his eyes were more pronounced and Leon could tell he had been crying at some point. Oh, Chris….
“Thank you, Lee,” the man responded, accepting the plate of food. Instead of eating it right away, Chris placed it on the table next to him. Leon frowned.
Chris went back to working on his bike, his body looking like it was on autopilot. And that's when he realized Chris was trying to distract himself.
The Mansion Incident was something that Leon knew a lot about but not everything about. It was one of the most substantial things that ever happened to Chris, if not the most traumatic. It was his own Raccoon City. And then on top of what happened, Chris had to just hear about his home being destroyed. It wasn't Leon’s home—he didn't have to deal with that grief. Chris was away, not knowing if anyone he loved was alive.
And that's not even going into what happened with Wesker.
“Sweetheart…” Leon started, and Chris stiffened before looking towards him again. He looked pained. “How can I help you?”
The man looked to the floor, breathing a little faster. “I don't know.”
Leon’s heart panged. Chris probably would have stayed in the garage all day and all alone if Leon hadn't chosen to check on him. That was another thing Leon had learned about Chris in their time married—he hid a lot of his grief and pain. Because he thinks he has to shoulder all of the responsibility. He thinks he can't show that sometimes he's not okay.
“Can I touch you?” Leon asked, giving him a loving if sad expression. Physical touch always helped Chris. He was a touch-oriented person.
Chris gave a shuddering, halted breath and then hung his head, his sweaty hair falling into his face. “Please…” he murmured.
Without wasting a moment, Leon moved over to Chris and pulled over a stool. He sat down next to his husband and then gently grabbed his hand. Chris' hands were calloused but soft. They were big and gentle—most people assumed he was rough due to his size and his job but he was hardly ever actually like that. He tried not to hurt anyone. Even when mad or upset. Chris really didn't have a bad bone in his body.
Leon rubbed his thumbs across the back of his husband's hand, moving in soft, rhythmic circles. He then moved so that their fingers were entangled, Leon squeezing softly. He could feel the slightest dip in Chris' posture. After a few minutes, Leon moved to cup Chris' face, forcing him to look at him.
“It wasn't your fault, sweetheart.”
Big brown, and now teary eyes widened before he looked away. Leon brought his gaze back to him and gave him a reassuring smile.
“You were 25, Chris. And you had no reason to believe Wesker would betray you. Everyone was fooled—he was too good at acting the part. That isn't on you,” he said, trying to help reassure him even a little. Something close to this happened every year around the anniversary but this was the most obvious he had seen it affect Chris. Usually, he was just more quiet throughout the day. “Is this because of what that bastard Dylan said in Alcatraz?”
Chris stiffened and looked away again and that was how he knew he was correct.
“Chris…please look at me.”
His husband swallowed before turning back to him, even more tears welling. He was clearly fighting them.
“Honey, he was wrong. It isn't your fault that all those people died—our job is dangerous and sometimes there isn't anything you can do to save someone,” he said, his own eyes burning as his heart ached for Chris. “But it's okay to cry for them.”
Apparently that was all it took for Chris to break and he let out a broken sob, rushing into Leon's arms and holding him in a tight hug. Leon held him pressing kisses to his temple and his scalp and whispering sweet reassurances into his ear. Chris hardly ever cried but when he did, he knew it was particularly bad. Or he had stuffed his emotions inside for too long.
“I'm s-sorry…” Chris stuttered between cries, sniffing in wetly.
Leon rubbed Chris' back, pressing another kiss to his temple. “You don't have to apologize…it's okay to cry. It's okay to not be okay.” He pulled away slightly, cupping Chris' face again and looking him in the eye. “It's okay to not be strong all the time.”
Chris gave him a small warbly smile and hugged him again, pressing his face into his neck where Leon could feel his shuddering breaths. They were slowing though, becoming more and more even and calm.
After a long while, Leon broke the silence. “Do you want to go back into the house and watch some movies?” Leon asked, rubbing his back still.
Chris seemed to think about it before saying a wavering, “That sounds nice.”
And so they went back into the house, the motorcycle maintenance left forgotten. Leon grabbed the ignored lunch and put it back into the fridge for when Chris got his appetite back. Leon led Chris by the hand to the living room and sat him on the couch, letting him have control over the remote. He then made both of them some hot chocolate, handing the warm mug to his husband who was looking much better than he had before.
“If you're up for it, do you wanna take a ride later to Jill and Claire's place?”
Chris took a sip from the mug and then nodded. Leon smiled and then pressed a kiss to his lips and then his cheek, snuggling into him and the couch cushions. They watched through an entire trilogy of movies and as time went by, Chris started to grow more and more drowsy. His head lowered onto Leon's shoulder and in response, he carefully maneuvered Chris to lay on his lap instead. Leon sent a picture to Jill.
We might be a little late, he texted Claire with a fond smile.