The Floor Is Lava - Tumblr Posts
Alas, my last two brain cells are trying to tango. Meanwhile, the third...well he's playing the floor is lava, while standing on both the two.
{سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ}
The Floor is Lava
Leon signs up for the Netflix competition, "The Floor is Lava," dragging you along with him.
a/n: unoriginal asf title ik 😔 but i watched tfil and saw this gorgeous king and thought "leon kennedy" so u get this.
tw: dirty talk (if u can call it that nun too serious) suggestive content and cutie pie cringe leon 🤧
wc: 2.9k
part two???? if this gets attention 🥰
<><><><><>
You desperately cling to the rope, watching your knuckles turn white against the scratchy material. When you had jumped, you had expected a gentle swaying as you elegantly traversed the course, easily landing on the toy block.
But with neon orange slime spurting everywhere, covering you in the sticky substance and causing you to lose your footing, such grace was something you couldn’t afford. You gingerly place your foot on the block, your unset destination, immediately slipping away as another tawny bubble bursts to the left, startling you.
Holding on for dear life (and $10,000), you shift your wary gaze to Leon. He’s not too far away, a sheen of sweat beading down the side of his face as he makes the jump to a yellow bed, landing on shaky legs but miraculously not falling off.
He turns to you, grim determination set in the lines of his face, the planes of his cheekbones lifting in what seems to be an encouraging smile.
Leon didn’t tell you when he signed you both up for The Floor is Lava, to be recorded on camera as you made an absolute fool of yourself trying to complete an obstacle course with him. When the acceptance came in the mail, he looked so confident that you could win that it was hard to say no.
What really enticed you was the cash prize, a sum of ten thousand dollars. And you figured, why not try? It was free to join and aside from being publicly humiliated, there was nothing to lose.
Since they were done with trios, the director wanted to film couples, so your introduction was mainly just Leon talking about you two while you fiddled with your fingers, sitting with your knee dug into his, avoiding the camera crew’s intense stare.
And now, you finally find the courage to step onto the block, stumbling forward, finding purchase on the very edge. You slowly exhale, brushing away the strands of hair framing your face. Guess you’re not looking your best either.
Leon easily leaps from each obstacle, barely looking exhausted, quickly grabbing his exit pass and swinging over to you. You can see him through the Connect-4 board, one of your favorite board games, although not at the time.
“Uh, what do I need to do?” he calls out to you, stretching his arms. The graphic tee he’s wearing has ridden up his body, exposing the low ridge of his abdomen. The cameras are drinking it up, taking one too many close up shots for your liking.
You huff under your breath and shout back, “Knock out that piece at the bottom so I can climb up!”
“What piece?” You watch him look around on the platform he’s standing on. The toy blocks stacked in a neat pattern around him catch your eye.
“Push the blocks!” He nudges a block with his boot, confusion contouring his expression for a moment before it clicks and he kicks the tower. It collapses quickly under his force, revealing a spare weight.
The only problem is it looks an awful lot like something you’d put on a dumbbell, and you’ve never seen Leon go to the gym. You know that his job requires combat training and a whole lot of strength, but you’re unsure if he can lift something that heavy. He inspects it carefully, a frown creasing the space between his eyebrows.
“Can you lift-” He crouches and lifts the weight like it’s nothing. You stare, speechless, as he slots it into place right above the coin.
“Hurry up, sweetheart,” he urges with a subtle wink.
You use the pieces like stairs, reaching for the exit pass stuck at the top. Once your fingers are clutched around it, you immediately stick it onto the velcro on your shirt, fearing losing it.
“Got it,” you confirm, dangling your legs off the top of the board. Leon waits at the bottom, arms outstretched, fingers slightly curled as if you’re already in his grasp. You giggle at the thought and give him a lazy smile before leaping down, landing right in front of him.
“I’m no damsel in distress,” you tease, using the edge of the platform to somewhat scrape the saffron slime off the bottom of your sneakers. It was good that you picked an old pair that was already coming apart for this.
Leon fakes a pouty look, narrowing his eyes and jutting out his bottom lip. He crosses his hands over his chest, over his heart, and leans back dramatically.
“Oh, dear heavens, save me from this goddess of a woman, who brings woe is me!” he blabbers, trying to come across as somewhat comprehensible.
“Woe is not you,” you scoff. “Besides, you wouldn’t have been able to catch me anyways.”
His expression dims. If anything, he was most disappointed when you assumed that he couldn’t do things for you. “Wasn’t that far, love,” he mumbles.
“You’re already sore,” you tease, “you old man.”
“I’m not that old,” he protests but a steady grin spreads across his face. Usually his age would’ve hit a sore spot and stayed but he seems like he’s in a good mood today.
“Thirty seconds,” the commentator calls out, sounding quite bored. You feel bad for the man, usually he’s always rushing to add a snarky comment, like you expected after watching the previous three seasons of the show. But he’s been silent, so you assume that the target was to focus on the couples and romance and stuff.
You prefer snark.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t play at the flirty card.
You throw an arm around Leon’s neck leisurely, pushing the warning of thirty seconds to the back of your mind. You press a kiss to his lips, fast but as deep as you can make it without wasting too much time.
You step away with a sneaky grin lingering on your face at Leon’s dazed expression. He snaps out of it and meets your eyes with the same mischievousness. Despite dating for over two years and knowing each other for even longer, it feels like you’re discovering something new about him every day.
You both rush through the last obstacle, a five foot jump, the tension ringing in your ears. Leon cheers for you as you prepare to cover the distance, slightly worried about losing your footing.
“You’re on fire, hot stuff!” he hollers, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Just keep burning rubber ‘till the bike's wheels fall off!”
“In what world do I ride a motorbike?” You roll your eyes (expecting Leon’s cringe lines) and the buzzer sounds just as you spread out on the finishing mat, collapsing beside him, panting heavily. He presses a soft peck to the curve of your neck, lying there as a jaunty theme plays and the commentator nearly jumps up from his seat to express his true feelings about the runthrough.
“And they’ve made it to the volcano!” he exclaims, jumping from behind the railing. The cameras zoom in on you two, and you make an effort to crane your neck and offer a weak smile before flopping back down, letting yourself relax.
“So, angel,” he whispers. “Anything else you wanna ride?”
<><><><>
You keep the words of courage (not that last bit) in your mind as you grip his hand, scaling up the giant mountain spewing golden goop everywhere. When they said volcano, they weren’t joking.
“You can do this,” he says assuringly.
“We can do this,” you correct with a sly smirk, noting the other couple glaring daggers at you, entwined in each other's arms.
But the cameras are off, which gives them free will to do as they wish. As if on cue, the man approaches. "That was some stunt back there. Guess Leon couldn't keep his hands off his girlfriend for five minutes, could he?"
His partner snickers cruelly. "Please, like they have any chance of winning. Let's be real, she's holding him back."
You step forward angrily but Leon's arm bars your waist. "We don't have time for their games, love. Save your energy for what matters." He locks eyes with them in a challenging stare.
“I've seen the way you look at her," the guy sneers at Leon. "It's pathetic. You're too distracted to focus on winning."
“Is he asking for it?” Leon cranes his neck to absently glance at something behind you, using the chance to mutter that into your ear.
Hands on your hips, you narrowed your eyes. "Jealous that we have what you never will? Real love and trust, not just desperation?"
The woman scoffs. "Please. Love is for the weak. This competition is about skill, and you two are lacking."
“Lacking?” You fight for a sweet smile. “The only thing lacking here is your ability to disguise that you’re desperate enough to say this to our faces.”
The guy flushes and the girl scowls, but they put on their camera smiles as the director calls out to you all. Through the course of your time here, you had watched them climb their way up the rankings and anticipated facing off against them, and however much you disliked them and however much you doubted your chances of winning, you fought to put effort into it, wanting to win to wipe those smug expressions off their faces.
“First ones to get their rocks set in place wins!” the commentator says brightly, flashing you a smile. You can’t tell if it’s genuine or forced but you don’t let it bother you, squeezing Leon’s hand tightly.
He squeezes back, looking at you with a certain kind of confidence, one that overflows from him to you. You look back at the mountain, renewing your idea of it.
The commentator counts down, thrusting his hand in time to the numbers, fingers retracting slowly before he pumps his fist in the air and you sprint off the platform. You swing your way across the bars and carefully push off from the chimney-styled column to land on the sticky surface near the base of the volcano.
The area wavers, like a raft on the ocean during a storm, making it hard to stand on your feet. Leon’s weight on the already unstable surface topples you over and you crawl to your knees in front of him, grumbling in dissent.
Leon’s low chuckle reaches you as he pulls you up and towards him, leaning down to whisper in your ear, “On your knees for me? In public?”
You push away from him, spotting your competition catching up. Grasping the ridges of the slope, you struggle to find purchase on the slippery surface. Sending a silent prayer of thanks to your parents for your long arms, you pull yourself up onto the ledge, panting heavily from the effort. Your muscles burn and you feel the stretch in your hamstrings, but you manage to uncoil the rope and toss it down to Leon.
He’s up in no time, coaxing you back up the mountain. His little words of praise and the thought of beating those cocky bastards spur you up to the top. When you reach the peak, you inhale slowly and push your rock.
It doesn’t budge. On the small ledge Leon and you are standing on, his body is pressed right against yours. The room suddenly feels much hotter, the temperature now fitting your surroundings. You hear him let out a shaky exhale, breath fanning the shell of your ear.
“Need some help, darling?” he coos quietly, too quiet for the microphones to pick up. “Is that what you need?”
You narrow your eyes, knowing that he knows what he’s doing to you, and it’s not really helping your concentration. You swat his hand away, the one you feel creeping from your waist, to a lower area.
“Just move the rock,” you hiss through gritted teeth, leaning over the edge of the volcano to try and get a better grip. Leon steps closer, pushing you against the surface, pinning you down so you can feel him, what you’re doing to him. “The rock!”
“You didn’t say which one,” he chastises breathily. “You didn’t say which.”
“Stupid, there’s only one-” You go silent, cheeks flushing at the realization of his words as you lean back involuntarily, straining from the effort of stretching. A strangled groan passes his lips and he lifts you back, hands settling on the dip of your hips.
“Just move,” he growls and there’s a more primal tone to his words now, and you get the feeling he’s not just talking about the rock. An urgent tone, like he’s suddenly impatient. A smile flutters across your face and you use his leverage to push yourself up, now splayed on the lower half of the volcano’s peak.
With a glance to the other couple, who’s fully given up on the challenge itself and are making out furiously against the walls, you slot your rock into place. Guess you were right about desperation.
A buzzer sounds and through the sloppy moans of the competition, you hear your commentator shout words of approval as he speaks to the camera before it cuts to you both. You turn and smile, Leon still standing behind you, arms wrapped firmly around your waist as he peppers messy kisses to your neck.
“Leon,” you say shyly, fully feeling the cameras on the both of you.
“Relax,” he murmurs against your skin. “They want a show. Let’s give them one.”
You don’t understand what he means until you stand beside him, fingers entwined, one of your hands holding the lava lamp that comes as a trophy. You’re more excited about the cash sum, mind already racing towards the thought of happily living together in your own house. Married.
You won’t deny yourself, you’ve been waiting for him to propose for god knows how long. Every time you think it might be the right time, nothing happens and your hopes slightly dim. While the cameras pan in on his smile, you use the time to sneak glances towards him.
When he looks back, adoration swims in his baby blue eyes as he turns to you, letting your hand fall out of his. “And… my inspiration is you. It’s always been you.”
You beam. I guess it’s always been something you’ve known, given the way he treats you, but hearing him say it out loud? For so many people to see? It feels like an accomplishment, a declaration of your love.
“Well, Leon- can I call you that? - I must say, I’m not one for romance, but you two have truly moved me tonight.” The commentator, Benny, you think, shakes his head. “Y'all deserve this. How’d you know that you would be there for each other?”
You nod. “I guess it’s the trust you have in your partner, the feeling of knowing even if you fall, they’ll be there.”
“But not to catch you, because the floor is…” Benny looks at us, expectant.
You and Leon share a glance before grinning madly and screaming, “Lava!”
The lights flash and Benny turns to the camera, previewing next week’s episode as Leon turns to you, the soft blue light washing over his face, highlighting the sharp contours of his gentle expression.
“What’s wrong?” You ask, resting a hand on his arm.
“I think you know what’s wrong,” he replies, leaning back to stand on his heels. You figure he might need some distance after… that, but he crouches down on one knee, looking up at you, eyes conveying nervousness.
You stare blankly, for some reason unable to react because after waiting for so long, it feels like you don’t know the correct expression to display on your face. You break out into a smile that hurts your cheeks when he starts talking, voice soft so he doesn’t interrupt Benny’s faint chatter.
“Darling, you already know how much I love you, so we’ll skip the formalities.” He clears his throat, pulling a box from seemingly nowhere and opening it, revealing a simple ring with a sparkling diamond inside. “Will you make me the goddamn happiest man alive and marry me?”
“Leon, of course, yes, yes!” Your mind starts to spin as he stands up, reaching out to put the ring on you, but you rush into his arms, numb with happiness, clutching the fabric of his shirt, sobs escaping you.
He pats your back, slightly shifting your position to put the ring on you. Trying your best to calm down, you admire the loose band around your finger, spotting letters engraved on the inside. Curious, you check the message. It reads, "Property of Kennedy.”
“Does yours say that too?” You snicker, wiping at your eyes frantically.
“‘Course, baby,” he says, voice low, “you'll always be mine and I'll always be yours.”
You realize the room has gone silent. Benny's twisting over his shoulder to stare at you, unashamed, but the entire studio's doing the same thing. Hell, the director's even pointing at you two, waving his arms wildly as the cameraman squints into his little box.
“And there we have it, folks,” Benny rushes to finish, “our sweet love story just keeps getting better! We hope to see you in next week’s episode!”
“Told you we'd win,” he finally boasts, wrapping a firm arm around your shoulders.
“Oh, shut up,” you say, slightly amused. “It’s a miracle I didn’t fall in.”
Leon chuckles. “Then we both got lucky, hm?”
