Chapter Text
You found yourself in the small garden at your sister's house. The orange sunlight began to be replaced by shadows as the evening fell over the garden, making you feel a little chilly whenever the wind blew. Fortunately, Leon convinced you to bring an extra jacket just in case. Soft acoustic music your sister loved was playing in the background as you sat at the small table under the cute lights your brother-in-law bought a few months ago to decorate the garden, a cup of tea in your hands, and some random chat with your sister. At the same time, Leon talked about only God knows what with your sister's husband. Everything felt so calm and relaxing. Too relaxing for what Leon is used to. That chill vibe the little garden gave and the soft chat they were having wasn't really Leon's thing, but he had to admit he was starting to enjoy it. Then a tiny voice echoed between the small sounds of footsteps approaching where you were sitting. Your niece was holding her bag of crayons and a sketch notebook that doubled her size, a huge smile plastered on her chubby face as she got closer to you without hesitation. “Do you want to draw with me?“ She said as she placed the notebook and the crayons in front of you, even before you could answer. Leon, from the other side of the garden, looked at you, expecting you to say 'no' to the little girl. You've never been the artist type of person. But your answer surprised him more than he would have ever thought. “Sure!“ You said with a cheerful tone, taking her in your arms to help her sit on your lap so she could reach the table better.
Her tiny hands drew some shaky shapes that looked like something between a dog and a cloud, while your hands were steadier, trying your best to draw a beautiful flower. You were too focused on your own drawing that you didn't notice what your niece started to draw next. “Look, Auntie Y/N, I drew you and Uncle Leon!“ She said with a proud smile as she waved the paper before your eyes. The painting had you and Leon as stick figures, painted with your favorite colors, with a third person added between you two. “Who's that?“ You asked, curious, pointing at the third figure you weren't able to recognize. “I want a cousin, so I added them as well.“ She said without giving it too much importance. You couldn't help smiling at her cute request. Meanwhile, Leon kept his gaze fixated on you two, watching every single movement you made. How you grabbed your niece's hand to teach her how to draw something new, how you wiped the paint from her cheek, how you laughed with the idea she had. “You're staring.“ Your brother-in-law said, nudging his elbow on Leon's side to catch his attention. “I'm just analyzing the situation.“ Leon said without looking away from you. “That never ends well.“ Your sister's husband joked, taking a sip from his cup. Leon remained silent, just looking your way. Everything around you suddenly felt so natural. “Interesting…” He muttered against his cup. “What?“ Your brother-in-law said. “No… nothing…” Leon tried to shrug it off, but it was too obvious that something was clouding his mind.
Back at home, the atmosphere that involved both of you was quiet. But not the kind of silence that made you uncomfortable. It was a heavy silence. Just like you did every time you got home from the street, you removed your shoes and meticulously placed them on the small drawer at the entrance, while Leon removed his and left them on the floor. You both removed your jackets, and Leon placed his home keys next to yours in the little hanger you bought when you moved in. “My niece is starting to get more energetic than you during missions.“ You laughed as you both walked into the kitchen. Leon didn't say anything, he looked too lost in his own thoughts to even listen to what you were saying. “Hey, are you listening?“ You asked as you saw him leaning on the kitchen counter. Still no answer. “Leon?“ You said, getting closer to him, slightly worried. “No… I'm okay… It's just that… I saw you.“ He said finally, slowly, like he was trying to find the right words. You looked at him, confused. “Well, yeah, that's usually what happens when you're in the same room as me.“ You joked, getting a little bit closer. “No, what I mean is I saw you… with your niece.“ He explained, crossing his arms and finally looking at your eyes. They gleamed with a light you've never seen before. “Oh…” You said a little embarrassed, thinking he might have heard your niece's request of you two to give her a cousin. Little did you know that was exactly what crossed Leon's mind as well. “You looked so… natural.“ You couldn't hold back a small laugh escaping your lips. “Leon, she's a kid, not an interrogation.“ You answered. “Yeah, I know… It's just that I don't know… The way you treated her came out so naturally that it caught me a bit off guard.“ He looked nervous. Much more than how he usually is. “Why do I have a feeling that something is crossing your mind that you don't want to tell me?“ You said, taking his hands in yours and trying your best to read the expression on his face. But it was really hard. “It's nothing.“ He hesitated. “Liar.“ You replied before he could say something else. Now he was avoiding your eyes. “I'm not.“ He scoffed. “You are.“ You said softly, looking for his gaze. Once you connected your eyes with his blue orbs again, silence bathed the kitchen. The warm light that hung from the ceiling above you illuminated his face, creating soft shadows on his features. He sighed, and his shoulders finally seemed to relax. “Have you ever thought about…?“ He went back silent, hoping you understood the rest of the question. But you wanted to hear it from him. “About…?“ You forced him to say, not breaking eye contact. “About having one…” He quietly said, as if he were too afraid of asking. You stayed quiet for a few seconds, processing his question before answering. “A kid?“ You finally said. Your grip grew tighter around his warm hands. He nodded slightly. “Now?“ You asked again. “It doesn't have to be now.“ He laughed a little. “Just… I've been thinking about it all evening…” He finally confessed, his cheeks turning slightly red. “Because of today?“ You asked, surprised. You would have never imagined that interacting with your niece would awaken that feeling of fatherhood in Leon. Actually, you didn't think he had it at all. “More or less… I've actually thought about it a couple of times before, but… I guess I was too scared to ask you.“ He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand while his left hand remained intertwined with yours.
“And what changed today?“ You looked at him with soft eyes. “I don't know… maybe seeing how good a mother you would be?“ He said, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips, forcing them to curl up a little. “Look, I'm not saying we must have one or that this is the right moment, but…” He tried to say, but you cut him off. “Leon.“ You said firmly. He fell quiet. “Do you want to?“ Your eyes held so much sincerity as you looked at him. He hesitated to answer for a few seconds, too scared of making the wrong decision. “To be honest… yes.“ He finally said, looking at you with that new gleam you were starting to love. “Let's do it then.“ You said, a wave of confidence taking over you. He let out an airy laugh. “We don't have to decide anything now. Let's think about it.“ He said, grabbing your face and planting a soft kiss on your lips. He was right. Having a kid together wasn't something to be decided impulsively. You had to take some time to think about it.
A few days later, the night was invading the entire city, and only the light from the small lamp on the living room tea table lit up the house. It was too late for it to be on, probably being the only light in the entire neighborhood. Right next to it, there was Leon, laptop open, glasses on, and some random website with baby names on the screen. His expression was serious, too focused on reading the article as if he were reading a serious report. The only difference was that the title 'baby names meanings' was written in capital letters at the heading of the article, and he was scrolling through an endless list of names. “Okay… This is harder than I expected.“ He muttered as he read through the list. “ENNIS: Ennis as a boys' name is of Gaelic origin, and the meaning of Ennis is 'island'... No, that's too weird.“ He scrolled. “David… No, that's too common.“ He said scrolling a little more. “Samuel… Samuel Kennedy…” He said, writing something in a notebook. Yes, a notebook. It wasn't a to-do list yet, but it was getting close.
He moved the mouse cursor around the screen. Click. Another window opened with the title 'basic things for newborns.' Leon moved on his seat, stretching his back a little. “Okay, this is important.“ He said, turning the page of the notebook to a new one. “Diapers, obviously. Clothes, obviously…” He said as he wrote them down. “Digital thermometer? Okay, that goes into the medical section.“ He said, writing a new section on the paper. He kept scrolling a little bit more, the blue light reflecting on his glasses. “Bottle warmer? That sounds more technical…” He said, frowning. He looked back at the paper and added an asterisk next to the new word. “Investigate.“ He then opened a new window, completely absorbed by this new world he discovered. “How much does a newborn sleep? Every two or three hours?? Isn't that like being dead?“ He muttered, pushing up his glasses with an incredulous expression.
“…Leon? What are you doing awake?“ Your voice took him out of his little bubble. You appeared leaning on the door frame, with messy hair and half asleep. Probably you also looked quite confused. “Nothing.“ He answered immediately, closing the laptop and removing his glasses. You looked at him with suspicious eyes as you got closer to him. Then you saw the notebook with all his messy notes and knew what was going on right away. “We said we would think about it.“ You said, laughing with a tired expression as you took the notebook in your hands and read his notes. “I'm thinking about it. More specifically, I'm gathering information.“ He excused himself, putting the laptop on the side and pulling you into his lap. “At 3 in the morning?“ You asked, finally looking at him. “It's when nobody can interrupt me.“ He said with a small smile, resting his forehead on yours. You placed a soft kiss on his lips. Slow, tender. “How long have you been gathering information?“ You quietly said without pushing away from him too much. “An hour.“ He said, rubbing imaginary circles on your sides out of habit. You didn't believe him, actually, you were pretty sure it had been longer since he got out of bed and came to the living room. “Okay… maybe two.“ He confessed, leaving a kiss on your forehead. “Come on, if we're going to do it, I want to be prepared.“ He said, pouting. “We haven't even made a decision yet, Leon.“ You laughed. You had to admit you loved to see how excited he was about having a baby with you, even though you agreed on not making the decision just yet. “That's why. This is the previous stage.“ He said, laughing as well. You looked down at the notebook again, moving the pages back and forth. “Names?“ You asked as you saw random names written on the paper. Only one was completed with your surname. “Just a draft.“ He said, looking at the paper as well. “Samuel Kennedy… We don't even know if we will have a boy or a girl, idiot.“ You said laughing, the name sticking to your mind like glue. “I said it's just a draft.“ He repeated, bumping his forehead against yours. “Sammy Scott Kennedy…” You repeated as if you were assimilating it. “I like it…” You added, looking at him with a small smile.
You both stayed on the couch a little longer, talking about anything but babies. Random things. Safe things. But somehow, that name kept echoing in the back of your mind, quiet, persistent. And even though you were still 'thinking about it', the idea of bringing a little Kennedy into this chaotic world didn't feel so distant anymore. If anything… it started to feel right.