Chapter Text
The autumn air was crisp and cold, the cool breeze brushing over Jack Krauser’s skin as he waited like the rest of the officers who would be teaching these recruits. It was early morning at the base and training in the earlier hours of the day before the sun broke through filled him with an exhilaration that couldn't be matched. Jack had missed being in a training camp, although he was glad he was on the commanding side now. Jack couldn’t wait to give the newest batch of recruits the same hell he had received at one point in time.
The bus stopped in front of the area and the men started to file off. Jack scanned most of the men over, taking in who would be most likely to succeed. After so many years in the military, it was often very easy to spot who would excel and who would wash out. Jack was scanning the crowd when he heard his name being called by a comrade of his, another drill sergeant for this camp.
“Hey Krauser, check out that one.” He said with a smirk as Jack turned his head in the direction of where his fellow officer was jerking his head. The man must be referring to the short, chestnut haired man that had just stepped off the bus. The man looked like he was barely out of high school, his smaller frame almost seeming to drown in the sea of tall, muscular recruits that he would be training with. Jack raised a brow at him and tried to wrap his head around why someone so young was here.
Most of the men here were at least in their late twenties, having served in the military and been accepted into this specialized training camp in hopes of qualifying for tougher, more covert missions for their government. This kid looked like he had never even been to boot camp. He didn’t carry himself like a soldier, didn’t give off the energy of a military man. He looked far too soft, far too pretty to be here.
“Looks like we got ourselves a pretty boy...might as well start the betting pool, Krauser, I give him a week at the most.” Jack’s friend joked but Jack looked long and hard at the younger man as the younger man walked along with the other men. One or two of the larger recruits looked the short recruit over, sneering and laughing at him. As the pair walked past, one of them rammed his shoulder into the shorter man's left shoulder. The smaller man grimaced, hand going to his shoulder as he gritted his teeth for a moment. Barely a second later, Jack watched as the younger recruit followed after where the recruits were being led to get their uniforms.
“Actually...I think I’ll pass on that bet.” Jack said as he watched the younger man in question leave with the group, not sure why but he couldn’t take his eyes off the younger man.
The sun was setting as Jack walked past the training obstacle course, having made sure that the last of the recruits were fitted with uniforms and sent on their way. Basic training would start in the early hours of the morning and Jack needed to head to his housing on base to get some rest and feed his troublesome cat.
‘ That damn cat, he better have not shit on the carpet again…’ Jack thought as he walked through the empty course to head towards his truck that was parked in the side parking lot. The large man hummed as he walked past the large wooden wall. It was designed for recruits to climb up to test their strength and as Jack walked by, he heard a small yelp. The large blond man looked up and opened his arms just seconds before catching a thin body easily.
Jack blinked and looked down at the person he had caught. It was the man from before, the tiny recruit with the dirty hair. Jack raised a brow as the man looked up at him, smiling awkwardly and chuckling nervously.
“Um, thanks for catching me...sorry about that.” the man said with a hint of anxiousness in his voice, a blush darkening his cheeks. “I may have misjudged my footing a bit there when I got a little distracted. Won’t happen again.” Jack smirked at the younger man, moving to set him onto his feet and ran his fingers through his slicked back hair.
“No problem kid...what are you even doing out here?” Jack asked as he looked the man over and taking in just how dirty the new uniform he was wearing was. “Are you training already?” Jack wasn’t used to someone coming in fresh off the bus and training right away. Maybe his fellow trainers should take a second look at this kid.
“Y-yeah, I was just hoping to get a run through the course and test myself a bit before I was competing with everyone else.” The man said, looking down at his feet. “I know I’m not supposed to be out here after hours but I felt I could get a head start…” Jack crossed his arms, staring at the younger man as he nervously shuffled his feet.
“It’s against the rules unless you get permission from a head officer.” Jack informed as he continued to look the kid over. This kid looked like he had been at this for quite a bit and Jack had never seen someone so willing to break the rules just to run a few laps around the course. Jack’s blue eyes scanned the younger man’s form. He was scrawny for a recruit and clearly would benefit from some extra training. It annoyed Jack that the recruit wasn’t looking him in the eye, though.
“Eyes up, kid.” Jack ordered, mouth becoming a thin line as the recruit looked up immediately and met his gaze. “You got a name?” Jack had to blink when he was met with the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen. They were a clear, darker blue than Jack’s own icy ones and took Jack by surprise as he found he couldn’t look away. He had to force himself to pay attention to the man when he answered.
“Leon Kennedy, sir.” Leon said with a small smile, keeping his eyes on Jack and the older man couldn’t help the small spark in his heart when he saw that tiny half grin.
‘ He’s...cute. ’ Jack thought as he cleared his throat, finally able to tear his eyes away long enough to realize he was getting a nervous feeling in his gut. Jack was never nervous, especially around new recruits. Jack beat down the feeling and looked at Leon with his best poker face, one he had mastered after so many years training to be cool under pressure.
“I’m Jack Krauser, the head Lieutenant in charge of hand to hand combat and weapons training here.” Jack introduced, holding out his hand to shake Leon’s. The smaller man blinked at the hand for a moment, as if he wasn’t used to such a friendly gesture. He slowly lifted his hand and took Jack’s.
Jack tried to ignore the sparks that filled his body when Leon’s soft hand touched his, fighting back the butterflies in his stomach as he shook the man’s hands. Leon had a firm handshake, displaying a confidence there that Jack had not seen thus far.
“It’s a pleasure.” Leon said, his smile widening as Jack reluctantly released the younger man’s hand and cleared his throat. He looked back into those eyes and found himself smiling back at Leon.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He said, voice a little softer than he meant as he turned to walk away. “Try not to tire yourself out or you won’t perform well tomorrow. We usually spend the first training day weeding out the weaklings and I’d hate to see such dedication go to waste in the first week.” Leon blinked and blushed again as he moved to walk the opposite way towards the barracks.
“Thanks for the advice, I think I’ll take it then.” Leon said as he turned and waved at Jack without looking back at him. “Have a good night then, Krauser...sir.” Jack nodded and watched the younger man leave, his eyes wandering down to stare at Leon’s perky little rear as he walked away. Jack was not usually attracted to men but he had to admit, Kennedy was not a normal man. Jack blushed and turned to leave, shaking the thoughts from his head. He really needed to get out more if he was finding the new male recruit attractive.
“I need to get laid…’ Jack thought as he left the training field in favor of driving home for some much-needed sleep.
A week later, Jack found himself in the mess hall with a growling stomach and feeling mildly irritated. He usually ate lunch in his office but today he had forgotten to pack one and was forced to eat whatever slop the mess hall chef was trying to pass off as food this week. He had spent most of the morning yelling at recruits who didn’t know the hilt of a knife from the pointy end and he still had one more group to train after lunch that he didn’t think would be much better off.
Jack scanned the mess hall for a place to sit. Most of the recruits were seated in groups and Jack was not in the mood to deal with any of them. As he scanned around the room, he spotted a familiar shock of chestnut hair with his nose buried in manuals and books that covered the table. Jack raised a brow when he noticed Leon sitting alone. The other recruits seemed to be making no move towards him aside from the occasional look toward the table with a roll of their eyes.
‘ Does this kid ever take a break, I’ve never seen such dedication…’ Jack thought as he crossed the mess hall easily, mouth became a hard line as he walked toward the younger man. He stood in front of Leon quietly for a moment. He waited for a second for the recruit to look up but found himself chuckling when Leon didn’t react. Leon was too engrossed in his books right now.
“Hey, Kennedy, any of these seats taken?” Jack asked as he looked down at the man. Leon’s head jerked up, his hair swaying as he looked up at Jack with those eyes. Jack felt the flutter in his gut just like before as several other recruits looked up to watch them, their eyes almost burning into Jack’s back. Leon wrinkled his brow, taking a moment to register that Jack was speaking to him. He smiled at Jack, pushing his silver reading glasses up his nose.
“N-no, please take a seat if you want to!” Leon said as he stared up at Jack, a small redness appearing on his cheeks after he stared for a moment. Jack chuckled and raised a brow at the younger man.
“Are you gonna clear space then?” Jack teased as Leon’s back went rigid and he nervously moved a few books, slamming them shut and stacking them off to the side to clear an area on the round, white table for Jack to set his tray. The larger man took a seat and looked over the spines of some of the books Leon was reading through. Most seemed to be books on hand to hand combat, strategy and various other subjects involving mission training.
“Do you ever take a break kid?” Jack asked as he started to eat the overcooked green beans he had grabbed to eat as a side. “Every time I see you, you’re always working.” Leon looked down at his books and chuckled nervously, lifting his hand to run his fingers through his hair.
“It seems that way I suppose.” Leon replied as he turned to smile at Jack again. “I just don’t see a point in wasting time. Anything to get ahead, right?” Jack nodded slowly, looking around the table and noticing that there was no food in sight. He looked back at Leon and raised another brow.
“Did you eat already?” Jack questioned as Leon blinked at him with those eyes again, wrinkling his brow as he looked at the table. Jack frowned as Leon didn’t meet his eyes, smile turning sheepish.
“I wasn’t really hungry…” Leon started to say when suddenly there was a loud, curdling growl that came from the direction of Leon’s stomach. Jack leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms at the smaller man. Jack sighed heavily when Leon chuckled nervously again.
“Here, eat something or you're never going to improve.” Jack scolded as he pushed his tray between them and handing Leon his bowl of beef stew. Leon took the bowl, face turning bright red as he tried to hand the bowl back, small hands touching over the top of Jack’s larger ones.
“No, it’s your food...I can’t…” Leon started to say when he noticed their hands and the staring crowds of recruits. Leon’s face turned an even deeper shade of red and he took the bowl, shrinking in his chair as he tried to make himself smaller.
“Thanks.” The man muttered softly as he took the spoon and started to eat. Jack looked away, returning to his green beans and clearing his throat, hoping it would hide the own heat he felt on his face. Leon’s touch had sent sparks flowing through Jack’s body again. He would have to ignore it lest the other recruits thought he was playing favorites.
“No problem kid but next time I’m letting you starve.” Jack said, using a teasing tone to cover up his own nervousness. Leon chuckled and looked up at Jack again, his pretty blue eyes shining with an amusement Jack hadn’t seen before in the younger man’s eyes.
“Deal.” Leon replied simply as he returned to eating his food. Jack felt his heart give a flutter again and he returned to his food, still hungry but oddly enough he didn’t really mind his growling stomach when Leon smiled like that.
After lunch, Jack figured out that Leon would be in his next batch of recruits in knife training so he walked with the younger man to the patch of dirt they would be training at. They were lost in a conversation they were having about various types of knives used for fighting and their personal preferences. It didn’t take Jack long to realize that Leon knew quite a bit about fighting and weapons. Leon was excited to be training with knives today, hoping to learn more than he did already. Jack was more interested in that he was actually enjoying the conversation with Leon. He normally didn’t talk to many people, preferring his lone wolf status but Leon was just so...upbeat and likable. It had Jack actually interacting with someone and enjoying it.
As they approached the training area, Jack could see the recruits gathered in a line. Most of them glared at Leon when they spotted him by Jack’s side. Jack sighed, hoping they didn’t think he would be playing favorites just because he happened to enjoy Leon’s company. Leon took his place in line as Jack looked over all the recruits in this group, hoping that this group yielded better fighters than the last one did.
Jack walked into the center of the ring, kicking up some dirt as he turned to face the men he would be teaching. Leon took a space near the front and fell into a rest position. Jack tried not to focus on him as he addressed the men in this group.
“Close quarter combat is an inevitable reality of special ops missions. You will have times where you will be forced to fight face to face with the enemy and you must be prepared.” Jack said as he looked at all his men, slowly sizing up who was listening and who were rolling their eyes. Jack unsheathed his knife. The long silver blade glinted in the midday sun as Jack drew it out, smiling to himself at the beauty of his favorite knife.
“Knife training is an essential part of training for hand to hand combat and while you are here with me, you will learn the basics of knife combat and how to defend yourself…” Jack continued to say when another recruit scoffed, crossing his arms across his large chest.
“Yeah, like use a gun.” the man said as the other recruits tittered in laughter. Jack narrowed his eyes and glared at the younger recruit. He was almost as tall as Jack himself, with brown hair and hazel eyes that looked at Jack with an air of arrogance as the tall blond loomed over him. Jack narrowed his eyes at the recruit.
‘ It’s always the cock sure ones that speak up first.’ Jack thought when a voice actually spoke up before Krauser could force the man to face him in combat against him. The voice belonged to Leon, who had raised his hand from in line. Jack couldn’t help but smile at the younger man and shake his head. Leon was such a boy scout it was almost painful to watch the others glare at him.
“Actually, a knife is more effective when in close quarters.” Leon’s voice piped up, looking toward the other recruit with an expression of annoyance. “It’s easier to quickly get into someone’s space and guns are more for long range. There are very few people who actually practice close range gunfighting.” Jack smirked at Leon, glad someone had some level of respect. Barnes was now actively glaring at Leon though Krauser had a feeling the spunky recruit could handle it.
“Teacher’s pet.” Barnes muttered to himself and Jack had to roll his eyes. Children, he was surrounded by overgrown children with knives. He had his work cut out for him it seemed. Jack sighed a little as he gestured towards the center of the ring.
“Thanks, Kennedy, now why don’t you and Barnes here be the first spar of the day.” Jack ordered, wanting to put his recruits through their paces. This should prove he was not favoriting Leon to the others. Recruit Barnes scoffed and took out the knife he was issued.
“Piece of cake, I could take this shrimp any day.” Barnes said, giving Leon a condescending smirk as he walked to the center of the ring. Leon hesitated for a moment before unsheathing his knife and walking forward. The blade glinted in the sun as Leon readied himself in front of Barnes. Jack walked to the side of the ring, standing with his hands behind his back as both recruits readied themselves. Leon fell into his stance, holding his knife up as if it was second nature. A controlled stare gracing his pretty features as Jack lifted his hand for them to begin.
“Don’t underestimate anyone in a fight Barnes, it could be the last thing you do.” Jack scolded as he waved his hand, watching them closely as the fight began. Barnes wasted no time flying at Leon, his large form looming over the smaller man as he attacked. Leon was quicker and dove out if the way, moving to get behind Barnes and kick the man away. Barnes turned and stabbed at the air with his knife only to see the spot Leon had been in was empty.
“Over here, dickhead.” Leon said and when Barnes turned, the small man flashed sunlight that was reflecting from his blade into the other recruit’s eyes. Barnes growled as he tried to blink away the spots in his vision. Leon took his moment when Barnes blindly slashed at him.
Leon's small form had the advantage here, getting into the spaces of Barnes’ arms and easily grabbing the hand holding the knife, disarming the attacker with a simple twist of the larger recruit’s wrist. The knife Barnes had been holding fell to be kicked away by Leon as he pressed the blade of his knife precariously over the larger recruits throat. After a moment, Leon pulled away from Barnes with a simple flip of his knife. Leon replaced the knife in its sheath and stood off to the side, looking up at Jack for some kind of appraisal.
Jack blinked in surprise, the fight hadn't even lasted five minutes. Jack smiled and the rest of the recruits burst into applause. Barnes scowled at Leon with a malice and anger, clearly embarrassed that he had been taken out so easily by a “shrimp” like Leon.
“He cheated. That was a dirty move, blinding me like that!” Barnes complained, looking up at Jack for some kind of backup. Jack sighed, exasperated by this recruit already as he picked up Barnes’ knife. Jack held the blade with his fingertips before flipping the hilt into his hand and sheathing the blade in the recruits holder.
“When you’re in a fight that is life or death, there are no dirty moves..” Jack scolded the recruit, earning him a fierce glare. “Fighting is about survival, if you aren’t prepared for the other guy to fight dirty, then you aren’t ready for these special ops missions.” Barnes glared at Jack, jaw clenched for just a moment before looking down at his feet.
“And you, Kennedy.” Jack stated, turning to Leon and smirking when he saw the man stiffen and look up with a wide-eyed stare. Jack chuckled at how cute the kid looked. Leon’s big blue eyes could probably melt the heart of even the most hard-assed of the trainers if he tried hard enough.
“You're pretty good with that knife, kid. Keep working on that speed. With a small build like yours, being fast will give you the advantage when you’re fighting bigger opponents. Don't let one victory against a cocky recruit go to your head.” Jack turned his back to the pair to pick some more recruits out for the next spar when he heard Barnes speak.
“What did you do to get in good with the lieutenant, suck his dick?” Barnes snarled quietly at Leon, obviously not realizing Jack could hear him. Jack’s head snapped around, anger in his eyes as he caught Barnes glaring at Leon. The smaller man raised a brow at the recruit.
“Why, are you curious about it?” Leon retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at Barnes. “And for the record, no I have not.” Barnes made a move toward Leon, grabbing the front of Leon’s uniform and getting in the younger man's face.
“Why you little fa-...” Barnes started to say when Jack interrupted him, jerking his recruits apart and turning to glare at Barnes. The recruit took a step back as Jack narrowed his eyes.
“Barnes, you are out of line!” Jack barked, his booming voice making both men jump. “I want twenty laps from you by the time that sun has set.” Barnes clenched his jaw, glaring up at his commanding officer but didn’t say anything as he looked away. Jack moved away, turning and not noticing Barnes glaring at Leon as the smaller man turned to go back to his spot in line.
What happened next took place so fast Jack still wasn't sure what happened after it was over. Barnes sprinted forward, blade drawn and attacked Leon from behind. Leon seemed to sense movement and reacted quickly. The smaller man turned, ducking away from the blade and sliding his feet to knock Barnes down at the blade fell from the dark haired recruit’s hand.
Leon dove at the other recruit, his own blade drawn. Barnes kicked at Leon when he came at him with the knife, catching the younger recruit in the stomach and sending him flying back. It dazed Leon enough to allow Barnes to rise and pin Leon down to the ground.
This was a mistake. Leon panicked, face going pale for a moment as he struggled against Barnes’ grip. Leon managed to lift his upper body and slammed his forehead hard onto Barnes’ nose to loosen the other man's grip. Barnes screamed in pain as he fell backward. Leon wasted no time reversing their roles, pinning the larger man beneath him. Jack instantly saw the fear in Leon's eyes, the heaving in Leon’s chest as he raised the knife he was holding and aimed for the injured recruit’s head.
Jack reacted quickly now, running forward and grabbing Leon's wrist to stop the blade before it came down. Leon snapped out of the killing mode he was in to stare down at Barnes. The larger man was holding his clearly broken nose, staring at Leon with fear and shock in his eyes. Leon dropped the knife and jerked from Jack's grip to hastily get off of Barnes. His blue eyes wide and horror at what he had almost done.
“I...I'm sorry....” Leon stammered, rising to his feet and running away toward the storage shed. Jack turned to the recruits, face contorted in rage.
“Get Barnes to the infirmary for that injury.” He growled, snapping the recruits out of their stupor as they scrambled to help the bleeding man up. Jack turned toward where Leon had disappeared.
The gray storage shed door had been kicked open, the building dark inside and Jack walked into it. He looked at the piles of boxes, weaponry and stored bedding. Jack found the light switch easily, flipping it to let more light flood into the small wooden shed.
Jack scanned the shed, eyes landing on the shaking body in the corner of the shed. Leon was in the corner, muttering to himself and curled in a ball. His breathing was heavy and his whole body shaking violently. The younger man looked terrified and stared blindly at the floor in front of him, fingers curled in his hair.
“So much blood...don't know what to do. Dead. they're all dead…” Jack heard the man saying as he walked forward. He recognized this kind of behavior and approached the shaking man slowly. He’d seen this kind of reaction countless times before and after missions and had dealt with similar things himself, PTSD was common amongst the men he worked with and even Jack had to deal with the flashbacks and paranoia that came with the memories of battles fought and men lost.
“Kennedy, calm down. It's okay.” Jack said slowly as he bent down in front of Leon, not attempting to touch as Leon continued to stare into space. “Leon, it’s okay...you're safe.” Leon's eyes were wide as he seemed to be seeing something Jack couldn't, tears forming inside of them as Leon opened his mouth to speak again.
“Monsters, they keep turning into monsters...so much blood…” Leon whispered, his whole body rigid. Leon kept murmuring about monsters as Jack tried to move closer. Leon was frightened and Jack needed to find a way to snap the man out of it.
Jack slowly moved toward Leon. Normally touch would set someone off but Jack wasn't getting anywhere just by speaking to Leon. Jack bit his lip, trying to think of how he could calm Leon down enough to find out about this flashback.
“Leon, it's Jack.” He said slowly, reaching for Leon's arm slowly. “You're not back there. You're at the base and you're safe. I'm here and it's okay.” Leon looked up, grabbing Jack's wrist and squeezed hard. The younger man didn’t look up, though, his body shaking and eyes fixed on his feet. Jack winced slightly but then managed to push the pain away in favor of keeping his eyes on Leon.
“Not safe, the monster...blood…” He muttered as he looked at Jack, grip on Jack's wrist painful. Leon's nails curled into Jack's skin, breaking through the tissue and skin. The marks started to bleed as Jack looked at Leon with a calm expression. It stung a little but Jack put it out of his mind. Leons' eyes were glazed over and Jack realized Leon wasn’t seeing him, he was seeing the monsters. Jack ignored the pain and moved just a little closer, trying to speak slowly so Leon would hear him. He wouldn't let a little nail mark keep him from helping Leon through this.
“Listen to my voice, kid. You're safe, I'm here. Take a moment and listen to my voice.” Jack spoke calmly, his other hand moving to cover Leon's as the nails dug deeper, the grip strengthening as Jack touched Leon. “You’ve got nothing to be scared of, kid. I’m here…” Leon’s eyes suddenly teared up more, his rigid body relaxing. Leon's hand, the one that had been gripping Jack's wrist, released the man.
Jack met the blue eyes, Leon's smaller arms suddenly lifting up and wrapping around Jack's shoulders. Jack's body stiffened for a moment, not sure what to do. Leon was still shaking and now his tears were soaking the front of Jack's short. Jack's eyes softened when he heard Leon's small voice.
“Safe...safe…” Leon kept repeating as Jack stiffened for a moment before slowly wrapped large arms around Leon's small waist and pulled the younger man tightly to him. Jack engulfed Leon in his arms, the soft mutters of safety were lost in Jack's chest. He held Leon close to him, just comforting the scared young recruit as best he could.
“It's going to be okay, I'm here. You're safe at the base.” Jack repeated as Leon's shaking started to slowly calm. “There’s no blood, no monsters...you are safe.” They stayed like this, Jack repeating the words to Leon for fifteen minutes until he was calm enough to control his breathing. Leon sniffed and Jack looked down at him.
“It's okay kid…” Jack said softly as Leon looked up at him, eyes clear. Leon stiffened in Jack's arms, having realized how intimate the position was. With a yelp, Leon pulled away blushing a deep shade of red. Jack tried not to feel the disappointment that filled him when Leon pulled away. He had enjoyed having Leon that close to him.
“Shit, I'm sorry Krauser...I didn't mean to...um…” Leon said as he looked down at his position, at Jack’s hands still around his waist. The younger man's blush turned an even fiercer shade of red as he scrambled away from Jack. Jack couldn’t help but feel the heat on his own cheeks at Leon's flustered movements.
‘Damn it...does he have to act so awkward about it…’ Jack thought as he moved to stand up. He extended a hand to Leon, helping his charge to his feet and putting an arm around his shoulder. Leon brought his hands up to rub his arms as if he was cold. Leon looked tired, probably exhausted from his breakdown. Jack stared down at Leon, quiet as he thought about his next words. He wrinkled his brow and stared down at Leon
“How often does that happen?” Jack asked suddenly, drawing Leon’s attention up to him. Leon bit his lip and wrapped his arms around himself as if he was cold. Jack waited as Leon seemed to hesitate. Leon seemed reluctant to answer him which made Jack think this was a common occurrence. The younger man sighed and looked down at his feet.
“Um...more than I’d care to admit to you…” Leon replied quietly as he wiped his eyes of residual tears. “It only really happens when I’m attacked from behind or cornered…” Jack looked Leon’s slumped form over and his eyes softened at the younger man. Leon had been dealing with this all by himself and Jack was surprised that no one had caught it yet. He sighed heavily and started to lead Leon towards the door.
“I’m getting you an appointment with the shrink. I can’t have a recruit trying to kill everyone when they sneak up on him. You gotta take care of yourself kid, and clearly, you have some PTSD from something.” Jack said as he led Leon through the door and outside, directing them towards the offices. “She’s good and has helped me before too. Been seeing a shrink for a few years myself...Almost killed a guy a few years back so the higher ups mandated I see one.” Jack was a little reluctant to admit that but at least Leon wouldn’t feel alone. The camp psychiatrist was in today, Jack himself having an appointment earlier that day. He paused in his speech for a minute, looking down at Leon with a gentle expression.
“And if you ever...need to talk or just get your mind off something...I’m here.” Jack stated, feeling his cheeks warm as Leon looked up at him. Leon’s pretty blue eyes made Jack’s heart skip as the younger man smiled at him.
“I’d...like that. Thank you.” Leon replied softly, the smile on his face making Jack feel warm and he felt Leon’s soft hand touch his. The sparks he felt from that simple touch had Jack biting his lip.
‘He’s just a kid but...he’s pretty amazing...’ Jack thought as he smiled, leading Leon towards the offices to see about getting him an appointment.
The next few weeks had Jack frustrated with himself. It began with Jack inviting Leon to take his meals with him in his office when he could, a friendship slowly growing between the two of them. The more Jack learned about the younger man, the more he found his heart racing every time Leon was near.
Leon had benefitted under the therapy Jack had set up for him, was overcoming whatever problems he had at a good pace. The knife fight with Barnes had resulted in the younger man garnering a pretty strong level of respect amongst his peers. It was a sight that Jack was pleased to see. He often saw Leon eating or training with the other men now and it was nice to see the younger man gaining some comradery amongst his fellow recruits. But even despite having new friends, Leon still came to Jack for things. Long talks on the hood of Jack’s truck, looking at stars, studying and just being with each other.
Since the younger man’s breakdown, Leon had been following Jack around like a lost puppy. Jack wouldn’t call their friendship that but his fellow trainers had been poking fun at Jack and his “shadow”. Jack tried to wave it off, tried to pretend that he wasn’t somewhat angry when his comrades poked fun at him or asked if the reason Leon trailed after him was because the kid had some kind of crush on him. They would often say things, saying Leon was just as pretty as a woman, insinuating that the two of them must have something going on.
Jack wasn’t exactly new to sleeping with other men. In his line of work, you took it where you could get it and sometimes you could only find it with a fellow soldier who was just as tipsy and horny as you. He’d been with enough men to know what to do but relationships...Jack wasn’t the type to settle down. He was married to his government and liked it that way.
But he couldn’t let himself think that Leon was anything but a friend. It didn’t matter if his heart raced when he looked at those blue eyes, didn’t matter if the smallest touches from Leon made Jack want to touch the younger man more. Leon had enough problems, he didn’t need Jack making more for him by lusting after him.The more frustrated he became, the moodier Jack got. He snapped at his fellow trainers for insinuating anything other than friendship between Leon and himself and worked the recruits harder than normal.
Jack sighed as he headed to his truck. The recruits had a day off for the next couple days and Jack was happy to finally have some time for himself. He could train, sleep in and do whatever errands he needed to run without having to deal with recruits all day. He wanted to go home, feed his cat and maybe watch an old western or two before going to bed.
“Krauser!” a familiar voice called that made Jack’s heart skip and he turned around to see Leon running up to him. “Wait up.” Jack paused and the smallest of smiles tugged at his lips when Leon looked up at him. The recruit wasn’t even out of breath as he held out some videos he was holding.
“I was hoping to catch you before you left.” Leon said happily, pink dusting his cheeks. “These are the detective films I was telling you about. You said you wouldn’t mind giving them a try so I figured I’d let you borrow them.” Jack looked down at Leon, shoulders relaxing as he tried not to feel somewhat warmed by the gesture. They had been talking about movies days ago and Leon had been meaning to give Jack some black and white detective films he had, saying that Jack might enjoy them.
'He’s too cute for his own good…’ Jack thought as he took the movies to look over before looking up at Leon, the man standing in front of him for another moment before he seemed to realize that he should let Jack leave.
“Oh, I should let you go home...you’re probably tired and…” Leon started to stammer as he went to back up. Jack couldn’t help but chuckle with how flustered Leon could get. The younger man was often awkward and didn’t know how to act around other people sometimes. It was oddly endearing to Jack.
“What are you up to tonight, kid?” Jack asked, trying to make this easier on Leon by making small talk. Part of him didn’t want Leon to leave anyway, the part of him that made him stare at Leon’s pretty face as he looked back up. Leon shrugged and lifted his hand to run it through his chestnut locks.
“Oh, I was just going to train tonight and then maybe go to bed early. The other guys wanted to go out and drink but I wasn’t really up for it.” Leon said as Jack raised a brow. Jack sighed at Leon’s constant training and work ethic.
“How about you come with me and we can watch these together.” Jack suggested without thinking. He instantly felt his brain screaming at him. With all these confused feelings he’d been feeling, would it really be wise to invite the younger man over? The wide smile that graced Leon’s beautiful features silenced those thoughts, though, making Jack feel warm at the happiness and excitement that filled Leon’s eyes.
“I would like that.” Leon said happily as Jack smirked at him. The larger man moved to his passenger door of the beat up old truck he called his. Jack opened it and jerked his head towards the seat.
“Get in, kid.” Jack ordered as Leon obeyed, making Jack chuckle as he watched the younger man walked by him and got into the truck. Jack couldn’t help but let his eyes linger over Leon for a moment before shutting the door and heading around to the driver’s side of the car. He tossed his bag into the bed of the truck before getting into his seat.
Leon looked up from his observations of the truck when Jack got in, smiling at the older man. Jack felt his heart give a flutter and he quickly shook it off. He could have a nice evening with a friend and comrade despite whatever feelings he was developing for the man. Jack put his keys in the ignition, turning them and the old truck roared to life.
“She’s old but this truck still purrs like a kitten.” Jack said with a soft smile. “She used to belong to my dad but she still runs like new.” Leon chuckled at him and shook his head. The younger man seemed amused by the way Jack spoke about his truck.
“Men and their trucks.” Leon commented, smiling at Jack with something like affection in his eyes. Jack blinked at Leon, trying to ignore the way the light from the headlights leaked in and surrounded Leon and turned toward the steering wheel.
It was going to be a long night.
Jack opened the door to his apartment, flipping on the light by the door and walking inside. Leon followed close behind, taking off his shoes and leaving them by the door as Jack tossed his boots off in the corner by the door. His apartment was large for a one bedroom, the kitchen just to the left of the door with a large bar counter. His living room was just ahead of the door with a small, tan loveseat positioned in front of a small television that seemed almost untouched for the most part. The whole house was neat and orderly, marking Jack’s meticulous attention to detail in his living habits.
“Make yourself comfortable, kid.” Jack said simply as a mass of dark fur bolted from the couch and leaped up onto Jack's shoulders. The large cat meowed, complaining loudly as he rubbed his face against Jack's cheek.
“I know Scrap, I'll get you food.” Jack said to the beast as it looked at him with its one yellow eye. Leon chuckled behind Jack as Scrap looked over at him. Scrap was a large thing, a smokey gray with black tabby stripes and patches of fur missing where the cat had scars. When he opened his mouth to meow, all of the cat’s missing teeth could be seen. Leon smiled, reaching to pet the cat.
Jack opened his mouth to warn Leon about the cat's hatred of strangers when the cat wiggled slightly, leaping off Jack's shoulders and into Leon's arms. Jack couldn't hide his surprise as Scrap purred in Leon's arms, the cats larger form barely contained in Leon's small arms. Leon smiled and scratched Scrap on his cheeks. Jack watched for a minute as Leon cooed at the cat, earning a gentle love bite from the cat.
“Aw, hello pretty boy.” Leon cooed to the cat with a bright grin. Jack watched when Scrap gently rubbed his cheek against Leon’s. The smaller man laughed and looked up at Jack with his pretty blue eyes, soft with affection that Jack assumed was directed at Scrap. No way Leon would ever look at him like that.
“He’s a cute cat, is he yours?” Leon asked, his smile making Jack smile. It was kind of nice to have someone call his cat cute. Scrap was usually so ill-tempered to everyone that he wasn’t well liked even among Jack’s closest of friends. Jack raised a brow, lifting his hand to pet the cat under the chin. Scrap purred, leaning closer as his one eye closed in content.
“Yeah but he normally hates strangers…” Jack stated, turning away to head for the kitchen and open the pantry. He took out a can of cat food and a bag of popcorn before setting both onto the gray counter before moving to grab Scrap his bowl. Jack opened the can easily and dumped it into the small blue ceramic cat dish.
Leon let the cat down when Scrap started to squirm, walking into the kitchen and looking around the small apartment. He took in the bar counter, beautiful lights that lit up the kitchen, gray and white color patterns on the wall. Jack moved to put the bag of popcorn in the microwave, letting it cook as he turned to lean against the counter. Leon looked up at Jack and smiled.
“Your apartment looks nice. Most guys leave a mess…” Leon said as Jack shrugged, looking around his apartment. The military had taught him how to be organized in small spaces and had bred a cleanliness in him that extended to every aspect of his life now. He couldn’t stand to let his home get cluttered with too much mess.
“But…” Leon started to say and Jack looked over when he trailed off. The older blond raised a small brow as Leon waved off whatever he’d been about to say. Jack crossed his arms and gave Leon a familiar ‘Spit it out, kid’ look. They had developed a sort of body language all their own since they had become closer and Leon instantly understood what Jack wanted.
“It’s nothing...although I must admit I’m surprised you’re single. You’re clean, nice apartment, a cat...I figured you’d have a girlfriend...or a boyfriend…” Leon observed, smiling sheepishly. Jack perked up at that, shaking his head at Leon as his cheeks tried to turn red. Jack wasn’t sure if he should be angry at the insinuation but…
“No, haven’t had a steady girlfriend in quite some time. Long missions tend to put a damper on that.” Jack replied as Leon looked away, his cheeks turning pink as Jack instantly wondered why Leon had mentioned it. “And never had a boyfriend I’d have to say…” Leon's chestnut hair fell into his eyes as he looked at his feet. Silence fell over them and Jack tried to find the right thing to say.
Suddenly, the microwave beeped and broke the silence for just a moment. Jack grabbed his popcorn bowl and dumped the contents of the bag into it. He turned and Leon was busying himself in the living room with the VCR as he put in the first of the detective films.The kid looked embarrassed and nervous, probably over thinking and thought he had offended Jack somehow.
“I'm not mad kid...about the boyfriend comment.” Jack reassured as Leon popped the movie in and walked toward the couch. “I’m just not...the settling down type regardless of gender.” As soon as Leon sat down, Scrap wandered over and took the spot on Leon's lap. Leon blushed and lifted his hand to run his fingers through the cat’s fur.
“I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” Leon said as the movie started to go through the previews on the video. Jack took out a few beers, bringing them over to the small wooden coffee table. He set it down on the dark wood before moving towards the light switch to dim the lights. The lights were low now, only the flickering of the television lighting up the room now. Jack walked back over to Leon and took a seat on the black leather couch. Leon looked up at him with a smile, his face lit up by the television screen.
“This is a really good film, my dad used to show these to me and my brother all the time when we were kids.” Leon said. Jack nodded, smiling as he opened a beer and took a sip. The soldier’s heart was hammering in his chest as he tried not to feel nervous just being near Leon.
“Used to? Do you not see your family anymore?” Jack asked, the question escaping from him before he could stop it. Leon’s eyes saddened, his whole body seeming to slump.
“I lost them all...years ago. Dad was a dirty cop and they were all murdered when I was fifteen.” Leon explained softly, his eyes hidden by his hair as he pet Scrap slowly. “I mean I had my uncle who raised me but...I still remember them…” Jack felt his eyes softening and he slid closer to Leon. He slowly lifted his hand when the younger man looked up. Jack saw the tears in Leon’s eyes and the older man pushed the longer hair out of Leon’s eyes.
“I’m sorry I asked. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories…” Jack tried to comfort as Leon looked up at him with tears running down his face. Jack's heart gave a cruel wrench and his hand moved from touching the soft chestnut hair to cup Leon's cheek. Leon's pretty blue eyes met Jack's, the blue light from the television basking Leon in a soft light. Jack felt his mouth go dry as Leon's shaking hands went to Jack's chest and Jack felt his own body move forward.
Their lips met softly, just a small press that sent fireworks shooting through Jack's body. The older man moved Leon back, laying Leon back and pressing him into the couch as the kiss became more heated. Jack licked along the seam of Leon’s lips, requesting access as Leon happily let him in. The younger man moaned into the kiss and Jack’s rough, calloused hands moved up Leon’s sides as their tongues tangled. Jack pushed up Leon’s gray shirt, moving up the man’s back when suddenly, his hand hit softer material under the shirt Leon was wearing.
Jack felt Leon jolt, pulling away with a small yelp. Jack raised a brow as Leon moved away and tried to make himself smaller on the corner of the couch. Leon didn’t meet Jack’s eyes as he pulled his shirt down and Jack reached forward to cup Leon’s cheek. He was confused why the man was acting…
“I’m sorry…” Leon said as he moved to get up. Jack knew Leon was going to run and he grabbed his friend around the waist to pull him back. Leon looked up at Jack and shook, his body fearful. Jack blinked at him, not liking that he had scared the man.
“Leon, it's okay. I just don't want you to leave...what has you so scared?” Jack implored, eyes fixing on Leon's. “I won't hurt you just...tell me.” Leon bit his lip, hesitating slightly as he hand slowly went to his shirt. He lifted it and Jack scanned what he had felt with his hands.
A tight black piece of material, binding down just the slightest raise of Leon's chest. It extended down just past Leon's ribs and the younger man's eyes watered. He looked up at Jack, liking more scared then Jack had ever seen as the silence began to weigh heavy in the air.
“It's...my binder.” Leon said softly, catching the confused look in Jack's eyes. “I wear it to...keep my breasts down.” Leon struggled as he said this, suddenly looking down as he let out a heavy sigh.
“I'm transgender...female to male...please don't tell anyone I can't…” Leon struggled to say as the tears leaked down his cheeks. “I'll do anything just please don't hurt me or…” Jack gently cupped Leon's cheeks, staring down at him with a fierce protective look.
“Why would I hurt you? It's not...I mean it's not that big of a deal.” Jack reassured, wiping away Leon's tears with his thumbs. “You're still...Leon to me. The same guy.” Jack was struggling for a way to reassure Leon but he was confused. He'd never really met someone who was transgender. This was new for him.
“But, um...could you explain exactly...I've never really met someone who was transgender so I don't really…” Jack tried to phrase as Leon relaxed slightly in Jack's arms. “So you have female parts...I'm assuming or…” Leon nodded, finally looking into Jack's eyes and taking a deep breath. The younger man smirked slightly at Jack, seeming to sense Jack wasn't going to harm him.
“Y-yes...I'm saving for top surgery right now to get the breasts removed and to get my chest flat. I've been on testosterone since I was seventeen so I look male but my body still has…” Leon faltered as he turned red, hiding his embarrassment in Jack's shoulder. “I'm sorry I just...I always felt like I was a boy and I am a boy...just with different parts…” Jack nodded and lifted his hand to thread through Leon's hair, noting how soft it felt under his fingers.
“Well, now that we've got that cleared up maybe I can go back to what I was doing.” Jack teased playfully, kissing Leon's temple. The younger man pulled away from Jack, clearly shocked at how nonchalant the man was being.
“You mean you still...want me after that?” Leon asked incredulously, well-groomed eyebrows wrinkling as he looked up at Jack. Jack chuckled, hooking his fingers under Leon's chin and pulling him toward him.
“What would something as silly as you having female parts and being a guy deter me away from kissing you when I've been wanting to do it since I met you?” Jack said, ghosting his lips over Leon's as he said it before pressing them against Leon's. The younger man moaned as Jack's hands moved under his shirt again.
Jack pulled away from the kiss to pull Leon's shirt over his head, tossing it aside as Leon fought to get Jack's shirt off. Jack could feel his own hardness pressing against Leon's leg now as he moved to kiss along Leon's neck and throat. After just a taste with the kisses, Jack was hooked on feeling Leon's body and wanted more. Leon moaned under Jack, enjoying the dominant nature of the older man. Leon looked up at Jack panting as his cheeks turned red, small hands reaching to touch the growing arousal between Jack's legs. The touch sending fireworks down Jack's spine.
“Leon…” Jack moaned when the warm hands reached for him. The younger man smiled shyly up at Jack and looked at the bulge he was touching. Leon sighed and Jack looked down at him.
“I guess you want me to give you a blow job right?” Leon asked, voice sounding somewhat...bitter. Jack raised a brow as Leon went to undo his belt. Why did Leon sound like he was going through the motions with this? Jack laid his large hand over both of Leon's smaller ones. Jack looked down at Leon and met his eyes fiercely.
“You first.” Jack stated stubbornly as he pushed Leon's hands back, pinning them above the man’s head and making Leon moan at the roughness. Jack kissed down the exposed skin of Leon's belly as he removed his hands from Leon's wrists to pull down Leon's sweatpants and toss them aside. Jack kissed Leon's hip bones, earning a shuddered gasp from the man beneath him.
“Ah, Jack...are you sure...I can pleasure you I'm used to it…” Leon said and Jack paused from his worshipping of Leon's hips. He lifted his head slowly, looking up at Leon’s face and raising his brow. Had Leon never been pleasured by someone before? Had any of the men or women Jack assumed Leon had been with taken the time to care for this beautiful man sprawled out before him?
“Leon, have any of the guys you've been with...have they ever pleasured you?” Jack asked, searching Leon's eyes for the answer when Leon turned an even deeper shade of red.
“I normally go for gay guys...most don't really have an interest in my...extra hole. Most times I end up pleasuring them with my mouth or stretching myself to they can use the backdoor.” Leon explained, clearly embarrassed. The younger man lifted his hand to run his fingers through Jack's hair.
“I've never actually had sex with...that part with another guy. I've only been with men interested in anal or women…and most of the women I was with didn’t want to be on top...” Leon noted as Jack felt his heart skip. Jack looked up as he hooked his finger over the hem of Leon's underwear. He stared up at Leon's face.
“Can I see it?” Jack asked as he stared long and hard at Leon. “And do you mind if I...eat you out?” Leon turned bright red, covering his face with his hands to hide. Leon nodded slowly and Jack smiled.
“You're cute when you get all flustered.” Jack teased as he pulled Leon's pants down. Jack was surprised when he was greeted with a reddish-orange happy trail that led down to a well-groomed patch of hair the same color. Jack smiled at the realization that Leon must naturally be a redhead. Jack chuckled and smirked up at Leon before looking back down.
Jack carefully spread Leon's lips open with his hands, looking down at the part in front of him. The skin was a pretty pink, wide inner lips and thick outer ones that had Jack's mouth watering. The older man spotted the enlarged clit.
Jack inspected the hardened flesh, the clit about the size of a baby carrot and looked like a small penis. Jack noticed that the clit was hard and erected, making him smile. Jack leaned forward and gave a slow lick up from Leon's extra hole to the tiny cock.
Leon shuddered beneath him, letting out a low moan of surprised pleasure that had Jack's cock twitching in his pants. Jack licked again, this time slowly moving his tongue up the lips of Leon's part in a zigzag motion. Leon gasped and moved his legs up to rest on Jack's shoulders, opening himself up to the man. Jack pressed into the area and licked around the hole, circling his tongue quickly around it.
“Oh...Jack...please keep going.” Leon groaned softly as Jack smiled into Leon's parts. Jack pulled the inner lips into his mouth, scrapping his teeth gently over them before sucking on the sensitive flesh. Leon gasped and moaned at the sensation, biting his lip as his thighs put pressure on Jack's head.
Jack picked up the speed of his licks, burying his face in Leon's area, pressing harder into the younger man. Jack licked harder, licking upward and swirling his tongue around the hard cock that Leon possessed. That earned Jack a loud cry of pleasure from Leon, the man arching slightly when Jack pulled the hardness into his mouth and swirled his tongue over the tiny head.
“Ah...Ah, Jack, that feels so good…” Leon cried out, hand going to Jack's hair and gripping the blond locks. Jack hummed around the length in his mouth in pleasure, the moans and touches filling him with pride. He liked that he was making Leon feel good, that the man was being pleasured for once.
Leon pressed himself closer to Jack's mouth, wanting more of the feeling of Jack's tongue. Jack pulled his hand away from Leon's hip and moved it down to circle a finger around Leon's hole. He slowly pressed inside of Leon as he lapped at the small dick in his mouth.
“Oh god...shit Jack!” Leon gasped as Jack stroked his inner walls, the wetness from Jack's tongue and Leon's own juices starting to dribble down onto the couch as Jack's finger slid inside easily. Jack pulled his finger out before pressing back inside of the younger man. Leon's other hand went to his own hair, gripping it tightly as he moaned out and Jack slowly picked up speed with his finger. He swirled his tongue around Leon's cock and closed his eyes as he sucked the hardness into his mouth and thrust his fingers into Leon's tight body.
“Jack your fingers are amazing...please don't stop, please.” Leon begged, his thighs trembling around Jack's head. Jack slowly stretched Leon until he could slip in a second finger, curling them inside of the younger man as he pulled them. Jack hummed around the length again as he bobbed his head slightly around the tiny hardness.
“Jack...I'm getting close please don't stop, please…” Leon cried out as Jack slammed his fingers into the younger man. Leon's moans sounded like music to his ears. Jack gave another swirling lick over Leon's small cock before moving to lick down again. Jack stuck his tongue into the hole with his fingers before giving Leon's entire area a wide lick. Leon gave a strangled cry of Jack's name. Leon arched his back, fingers gripping tightly on Jack's hair.
Jack felt the rush of salty wetness that washed over his tongue and slowed his licks to draw the orgasm from Leon as the man came down from his high, his fingers slowly loosening from Jack's hair. Leon panted as Jack pulled away, watching the older man wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and smirk at Leon. The younger man whimpered slightly as he recovered, trying to find the presence of mind to speak after his climax.
“T-that was amazing Jack...I've never felt anything so good before.” Leon said as Jack moved to lay over him, pulling the smaller man closer. Leon's face was pink from his orgasm, a sleepy smile on his face that made Jack's heart skip. Leon was so beautiful.
“I don't think you're leaving here tonight.” Jack said playfully, pulling Leon into his lap. Jack hooked his arms under Leon's ass and legs, standing up with Leon in his arms. Leon was so light and easy for Jack to lift.
“I don't think I want to.” Leon replied as he wrapped his arms around Jack's neck, kissing Jack on the lips as the man carried Leon into his room. Jack hummed into the kiss and walked into his room, shutting the door with his foot. The door slammed shut, echoing through the small apartment only to soon be replaced by the sounds of Leon’s cries of pleasure.