Notes:- Thanks to everyone who responded to my initial post about rewriting this thing! I've been unhappy with the originals for a while so hopefully you'll enjoy re-reading this as much as I've enjoyed re-writing it!
The Facility Revisited
Chapter One
"I knew you'd end up forgetting something" Jill teased as she handed Chris' battered passport over. Chris stuffed it in the back pocket of his jeans and offered her a goofy smile. He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Where would I be without you"? He replied, blowing out a perfect smoke ring. It had taken him months to perfect that little trick. Jill rolled her eyes and coughed, waving the smoke away from her face. It was no secret that Jill hated his smoking. Hell, she'd said it often enough.
"What time's your flight"? She asked, nodding at the entrance to the airport a few yards away.
"I dunno. Soon" Chris shrugged again. He dropped his cigarette and ground it into the pavement with the toe of his red skater trainer. He wasn't fussed about stupid things like flight times. He was more bothered about whether the air hostesses would be hot or if the trolley served beer. He wouldn't say no to a decent in flight action flick either. Jill sighed heavily and bent down to rifle through his bag. Knowing her, she was probably checking whether or not he even had his plane ticket. Looking down at her, he wondered how on earth he'd ever found her attractive enough to date. True, she had an awesome body and a butt that utterly refused to quit but she was so damn irritating. All she'd ever done whilst they'd been together was nag him. Nag him about dumping his clothes on the floor, nag him about smoking, nag him about drinking milk straight from the carton. It had driven him mad. They'd dated for a few months before he'd finally ended it. Things had been pretty awkward between them for a while but the BSAA had kept them both busy and when they were eventually put on a mission together, it'd almost been like old times.
"Good luck out there" Jill straightened up and passed him the plane ticket. "I hope this new partner of yours treats you well"
"I'm sure he'll be fine" Chris picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder as the two of them headed for the airport entrance.
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Chris leant back in his chair and gratefully accepted another bag of free peanuts from the sexy blonde air hostess. He'd made his flight on time which he totally knew he would, despite what Jill had to say. He ripped open the bag and tipped it straight into his mouth. The peanuts were right, the air hostess was right but the in flight movie wasn't. It was some dumb romantic comedy. The sort that Jill used to make him watch. He glanced over at the file folder he'd carried on. He really should make the effort to actually read his mission brief or at least come up with some sort of plan. He didn't actually know all that much about his current job. A week or so ago, he'd received a call from Barry who'd been full of the joys of spring because the US Government had agreed to give the BSAA some minimal funding. Chris wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the current president or his government but he knew he wasn't in a position to thumb his nose at funding. It seemed that all the government wanted in return was someone to go to Spain to aid one of their agents who was currently investigating some potential biohazard. Barry had happily volunteered him to be the one to help.
He tipped the remainder of the bag of peanuts into his mouth and crunched loudly. He didn't mind being volunteered. The pay was good and getting a big fat cheque for a job well done was one of Chris' favourite things. He'd been pretty flippant about it with Jill but he really hoped that this government guy wasn't stuck up or anything. It'd made the job a hell of a lot harder if he got landed with some asshole.
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"This partner you've landed me better be good. I don't want to be stuck with some asshole with more brawn than brains"
"Relax Leon" Dennis looked up from his computer. A small smile played across his lips almost as if he was enjoying the situation. "Barry Burton is a friend of a friend. I have it on good authority that he knows good men" He continued reassuringly in his clipped English accent. Leon didn't reply. He helped himself to a cup of cold water from the water cooler that Dennis kept in the corner of his office. He took a sip and regarded his colleague for a moment. Outwardly, Dennis looked like every other government official he'd ever met. He wore dark suits and shirts with carefully matched ties. His greying hair was neatly slicked back with gel and his black wire framed glasses sat on the tip of his nose as he surveyed whatever was on his computer screen. Dennis had been the first person he'd met when he'd arrived in Spain and it had been Dennis that was tasked with getting him settled in. It had been a brief friendship, no longer than a few months, but Dennis was one of the few, if the only, person Leon respected. The one thing that irked him was Dennis' penchant for withholding information that he, Leon, considered to be important. Leon knew that he was about to undertake a difficult and potentially life threatening mission and he had the distinct impression there was something he wasn't being told. It had been that very morning that Dennis had chosen to tell him that missing information. He was to have a partner for the mission.
"Are you going to tell me again that you don't need a partner"? Dennis was openly smiling now. "I would certainly love to hear your next reason as to why. Although I should remind you, if the government is willing to fund the BSAA then they are certainly going to want their money's worth. Need I remind you again that this current mission is of a very dangerous nature and that it would be prudent to have some backup"?
Leon really wanted to argue that point. After all, how many other deadly situations had he gotten through with nobody but himself to rely on? It had taken him some time but he'd learnt that when it came to life in general, relying on others got you nowhere. He was about to tell Dennis that exact fact when all of a sudden, the office door burst open and somebody walked in.
An extraordinarily large somebody.
The man had the biggest muscles that Leon had ever seen outside of a body building competition. He was tall and broad with dark brown hair styled into messy floppy spikes. He was dressed simply, in dark jeans and an olive green t-shirt that strained across his impressive chest and shoulders. He had a silly lopsided grin that probably drove most women crazy with desire. Well, Leon snorted, the vacuous ones anyway. Leon sighed heavily, distinctly unimpressed with this interloper who, quite frankly, had an oafish quality about him that he knew he would find immensely irritating.
"The polite thing to do would be to knock" He said acidly. "Whatever room it is your looking for, I can assure you that this isn't it"
Far from being put off by this attitude, the oaf wiped a sweaty palm down the leg of his jeans and held it out to shake, the goofy grin still very much in place.
"Chris Redfield" He said, totally unfazed by his less-than-warm welcome.
"Ah, Mr Redfield" Dennis stood up and shook Chris' hand warmly. "A pleasure to meet you at last. Barry Burton has told me a lot about you. You can call me Dennis and I shall be your mission co-ordinator during your time with us"
"Sweet" Chris replied, shaking Dennis' hand heartily. Leon rolled his eyes. So he talked like a teenager? Well wasn't that a big surprise? It was unnerving that Dennis knew who he was. That meant the chances of Chris being in the wrong room were very slim and that could only mean one thing.
"He's a good guy Leon" Dennis said, turning to regard Leon. "I'm sure the two of you will get along just fine" He paused, obviously waiting for Leon to introduce himself.
Chris noticed that this Leon guy seemed to be intent on staring daggers at Dennis. He took this opportunity to size his new partner up. The guy was fairly short and had nowhere near the impressive muscle mass of his own hard-worked for body. Leon had what Jill would've probably called a swimmer's build. He had blonde, floppy hair that looked well cared for. Chris figured that would be the sort of hair that women would go nuts for. He seemed to carry himself with a quiet confidence, almost as if he was some sort of James Bond style lady killer. To Chris, it all seemed a little bit too perfect. But, he figured, it could be worse. At least the guy wasn't wearing a suit or anything. If there was one thing Chris couldn't stand, it was stuck up government officials in suits. Thankfully, the suit wearing Dennis guy seemed cool. Leon however, was wearing black combats and a fitted grey top. He was also wearing a really expensive looking leather jacket despite the ridiculous heat in the small office. Chris snorted at that. Posing bastard.
"Are we getting out of here or are you just going to stand there looking retarded"? Leon's harsh tone broke through Chris' examination of his new partner. He was now standing by the door, nodding towards the corridor ahead. With another quick nod to Dennis, Leon stalked off leaving Chris little choice but to follow. Chris noticed that as he closed the office door, Dennis gave him a slightly apologetic look.
Leon didn't speak again until they were in the parking lot of the building. He strutted towards a black Jeep and grabbed the keys from the inside pocket of his jacket. Chris looked around at the building. It looked similar to the old RPD building back in Raccoon City but without the pomp and old architecture. A tattered American flag hung from a white flag pole on the side of it. Chris fidgeted in his pockets until he found his pack of cigarettes. He plucked one out and was reaching for his lighter when Leon finally spoke.
"You're not smoking in the car" He said shortly. "Unlike you, I don't want lung cancer" He looked Chris up and down appraisingly. "Why work so hard for a body like that only to smoke yourself to death"? He snorted. "Unless it's all steroids of course" He wrenched open the driver's side door and climbed in.
With a resigned sigh, Chris pocketed his cigarettes and hopped into the Jeep. It was beginning to seem like he had been landed with an asshole after all. So what if he smoked? What was the big deal? He'd been doing it for years. He was well aware of the risks. Jill had been just as uppity about it. Anyone would think he was doing something wrong.
"What's with this high and mighty shit"? Chris asked as Leon started the Jeep. "You're no better than me so why act like you are"?
"Oh I'm not acting" Leon replied simply. "I am better than you" He checked the road before pulling out of the parking lot. "I don't need a partner and I need a friend even less. As far as I'm concerned you're just someone I have to tolerate until we get the job done and you can be shipped back to America where you belong" Before Chris had a chance to process this, Leon continued. "I trust this Barry Burton guy told you that you'd be staying at my place for the duration of the mission"?
Chris looked at his new partner, searching for some sign that he was joking. It seemed clear however, that Leon wasn't the type of person who told jokes. Chris had been imagining some luxury hotel with all the facilities including room service and a healthy selection of pornographic films. That had been his plan. If his partner turned out to be an asshole then it wouldn't matter because he could just chill out in the hotel room until they needed to work together. Now it seemed his partner was a total asshole and that they'd be living together. Chris was beginning to regret being so eager at taking the job on.
"I was kinda hoping for a hotel" He replied. "Y'know, with all the best facilities"?
"I can assure you that my house as everything you'll need for your stay here" Leon said. "It's not my idea of an ideal situation but needs must I suppose"
"Great" Chris replied sarcastically as he slumped further down the passenger seat. Leon looked like one of those guys who liked to get up stupidly early for no good reason. Even during his Air Force years, Chris had a problem with early starts.
"And let me tell you right now. I'm not your mother" Leon continued. "If we're not working, it's up to you what time you get up and what you do. I can show you a couple of places that might be of interest but as far as I'm concerned, we'll stay out of each other's way. We don't even have to have meals together" He shrugged and offered Chris his first smile, albeit a sarcastic one. "Just as long as when some mutant creature wants to take a chunk out of me, you're there with your magnum to blow its head off"
Leon finally shut up after that. Chris stared out of the window at the passing countryside moodily. Barry had really let him down on this one. His old friend had assured him countless times that it was to be a simple enough mission. A quick in and out job that would secure the much needed funding for the BSAA. What Barry hadn't bothered to tell him was that he was going to have to do the job with a guy who had a serious attitude problem. As Leon continued to drive them to god knows where. Chris made a mental note to kick Barry's ass as soon as he returned to America.
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As luck would have it, Leon's home turned out to be a hell of a lot nicer than any of the hotels that Chris had imagined on the plane journey. Unlike its owner, it was cosy and radiated a clean, tidy aura that reminded him of the apartment that he'd once shared with Jill. The building itself was nestled between some small mountains and resembled a log cabin. It had a balcony on the second floor that looked as if it offered great views of the big city in the distance. He followed Leon to the front door and once inside, he could see that it was tastefully decorated with neutral creams and pine furniture. There seemed to be very few personal possessions about and it was spotlessly tidy. Chris thought of his own apartment back in America with its decorations of beer cans and takeaway containers. At least he had photos up on the walls though. There seemed to be nothing like that in Leon's home. Despite how cosy it looked and appeared, it also had the feeling of a show home rather than where somebody actually lived. The lounge area had nothing more than a sofa, a chair, a coffee table and a few bookcases. The kitchen, to his right, looked equally as bare with its spotless cabinets and clean pine table. Ahead of him was the stairs that led to the second floor and, through the lounge area, he could clearly see a set of glass panelled doors that looked as if they led to a decked area outside. His eyes lit up when they spotted the hot tub and he instantly imagined himself soaking his aching, travel weary muscles in there with a beer. Without a word, Leon parked himself on the black leather sofa and grabbed a file folder off the coffee table. He started to flick through it silently, leaving Chris standing around unsure of where to place himself. Eventually, as it seemed obvious Leon wasn't going to offer, he flopped down into the armchair.
"Nice place you got here" He commented, if only to break the silence. He hated silences. There was an awful lot of silences during that last month with Jill. He liked noise whether it was friendly chatter or the buzz of the TV or games console.
"The government own it" Leon answered, not looking up from the contents of the folder. Chris wondered if he was looking over the mission brief. Leon didn't seem to be in a hurry to share any information.
"You seem like a nice guy" Chris silently cursed the words as soon as he said them. Leon didn't seem like a nice guy at all. In fact, he seemed totally the opposite. Chris couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid when Leon finally looked up at him, one elegant, groomed eyebrow raised.
"Really"? He said with mock interest. "And how exactly do I seem like a nice guy"? He challenged. When Chris could do nothing but shrug helplessly, Leon closed the file folder with a snap. "Please refrain from saying any old crap that comes into your head. I'll find it incredibly tiresome" He continued. "I've just looked over the brief" He nodded at the folder. "We can easily get the job done within a day or two. If you're as good as this Barry Burton says you are then who knows? We could even have this done in a matter of hours which, I can tell you, suits me just fine"
"Sure" Chris muttered, trying to fight the urge to reach across the expensive looking coffee table and grab his new partner by the throat. If it wasn't for the fact that Leon could leave him homeless in a country where he didn't speak the language, he'd definitely be tempted to teach the uppity younger man a lesson with his fists.
"I trust you've read the mission brief"? Leon asked with a look that said he didn't trust him at all.
"Sure I have" Chris shrugged. Of course he hadn't read the damn mission brief! But there was no way he was going to admit that now.
"Good" Leon got up and wandered into the open plan kitchen. "Then you'll know it's not without its risks" He plucked an apple from the wooden bowl in the centre of the pine table and bit into it. "This is just money for me and I'll be in a much better position to appreciate it if I haven't been killed because of a partner's incompetence"
"Well then, that makes two of us don't it"? Chris replied, trying not to sound as defensive as he felt and ignore his rumbling stomach. He wondered if Leon could hear it. He hadn't had anything to eat since the free peanuts. Was he allowed to just go and help himself or was there a decent takeaway around? He fumbled in the back pocket of his jeans for his wallet to check out his money situation. But his wallet wasn't there. A horrible wave of realisation hit him. He'd put his bag down in the airport when he'd bought a soda from one of the vending machines. A totally hot air hostess had walked past and he'd been distracted. He'd walked off with his soda and totally forgotten to pick up his bag. "Shit! I left my bag at the airport"!
"Well that was pretty dumb" Leon said calmly, taking another bite from the apple. Was it just Chris' imagination or was he biting into it obnoxiously loud? Chris suspected that the whole bag forgetting thing had made him go even further down in Leon's estimations of him.
"Well...yeah..." Chris scratched the back of his neck, feeling foolish. "It means I'm gonna...y'know, need some things...til I can get it back" He added sheepishly. Now he had even more things to rely on his unfriendly host for. He watched as Leon tossed his apple core into the bin. How was he going to put this without sounding even more retarded? "And...um...I don't really speak Spanish..."
"Write me a list" Leon shrugged. "I'm going shopping tomorrow morning anyway" He made for the stairs. "I suppose it would've been too much to ask that you learn a little of the language of the country you're going to before you go to it"? Without waiting for a reply, he calmly climbed the stairs leaving Chris alone.
As soon as his partner disappeared, Chris leapt up from his armchair and dived on the wooden fruit bowl. He plucked the bunch of bananas from it. He was starving! He quickly unpeeled one and stuffed half of it into his mouth. Chewing ferociously, he grabbed the notebook and pen that were on a small table beside the phone and sat down to write his list.
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Leon muttered to himself as he tried his best to decipher Chris' list. He wasn't expecting much now he'd actually met the oaf but legible handwriting would've been nice. He was beginning to think it would've been a hell of a lot simpler to get Chris to draw what he wanted. As soon as he'd woken up, he'd gotten on the phone to Dennis and asked about Chris' background. What he'd heard had, quite frankly, stunned him. On record, Chris Redfield was a highly trained individual with both military and police experience. He was a highly regarded marksman and leader and ranked highly in the BSAA. In reality, it was hard to believe that someone who couldn't write a shopping list clearly could be capable of such achievements. Leon hadn't yet complained to Dennis so Dennis had seen Leon's sudden interest in his new partner as a good thing. Leon let out a derisive snort. There would be no way in hell that he would ever get along with someone as oafish as Chris Redfield.
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Chris leant back until his head came into contact with the cushioned corner of the hot tub. It hadn't taken him very long at all to work out how the thing worked and it had taken even less time to shed all of his clothes and clamber in to its soothing waters. The heat from the water was relaxing and just as he'd imagined, it seemed to melt every scrap of tension from his muscles. This was his first time in a hot tub and he resolved to seek one out as soon as he returned home. As the bubbles gently massaged his body he wondered how often Leon used it. Maybe if Leon used it more, he wouldn't be so damn uptight all the time.
Living in Leon's house did have it perks though. Aside from the hot tub, his bed was very comfortable and he'd had a great night's sleep. The mattress was nice and soft and the pillows were clean and plump. The sheets had a wonderful fresh smell to them which was certainly a far cry from his own sheets at home. He'd woken up refreshed and decided to make a bee line straight for the hot tub. He'd slept naked and since Leon didn't seem to be around, he hadn't bothered to dress for his trip to the hot tub.
He did briefly wonder if his new partner would mind him using the hot tub but he decided that he didn't really care. It was pretty obvious that his presence in the house was such an annoyance that it probably wouldn't really matter what he did. Chris stretched and scratched his stomach lazily. He supposed it was time to start considering some form of breakfast. He doubted that Leon kept a healthy supply of Lucky Charms in his cupboard but he held out hope for some bacon. He hauled himself reluctantly out of the water and gave his hair a quick scrub with a nearby towel. He discarded it and turned round to find Leon standing by the double doors, a shocked expression on his face and a brown paper grocery bag in his arms. Chris jumped back slightly but made no effort to hide his nudity. Leon had probably already seen it anyway.
"I had no idea you were a peeping tom" He said with a quirk of his eyebrow as Leon stood there, seemingly frozen on the spot.
"At what point did I give you permission to use my hot tub"? Leon asked coldly. He averted his eyes so he was no longer faced with the sight of his new partner's genitals. Chris didn't appear to be in a hurry to cover up. "Naked" He added as an afterthought.
"I was all sweaty and achy from yesterday" Chris explained with a shrug. He bent down to retrieve the discarded towel and wrapped it around his waist. To Leon, the action seemed to take an age to complete. "I don't see what your problem is. We're both guys. It's not like I've got anything you haven't seen before" He nodded at the bag. "Is that my stuff"? He took the bag from his arms and padded back into the house leaving Leon still standing there.
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Chris spent the rest of the morning drifting around the house, looking for things to do. Unfortunately, Leon's house didn't have any of the things he liked. There were no comics, no games consoles. Leon didn't even seem to own a TV. He had countless books but none of them really interested Chris. Just when he thought he was about to die of boredom, he found a gun magazine in the magazine rack by the side of the sofa. He proceeded to read it from cover to cover whilst Leon read through files and tapped away continuously at his laptop, all the while not saying a word.
It came as a surprise therefore, when Leon suddenly announced that he would be preparing lunch for them both. Leon hadn't said a word about it, but Chris guessed that his new partner felt a little uncomfortable about seeing him in the nude. Not that he could blame him, Chris thought to himself, he was a pretty impressive guy to look at. He imagined that Leon probably felt threatened by having someone around the place who could so easily kick his ass. By the time he'd done with the gun magazine, Leon was at the kitchen table, serving up a delicious looking stew. Chris dropped the magazine and hurried to take a seat at the table.
It was beautifully laid out, cups and bowls all matching, the large stew dish in the middle with plenty still in for additional helpings. Alongside this was a bowl containing some crusty bread to go with it. He helped himself immediately and it all tasted as delicious as it looked and smelled. Chris was on his second bowlful when he decided to break the silence at the table.
"You're not still bugged about the hot tub thing are you"? He asked through a mouthful of the stew. If this one meal was anything to go by, Leon was an amazing cook. Way better than him and perhaps even better than Jill.
"Why would I be bothered"? Leon asked smoothly. He'd been glancing at a newspaper while he'd been eating but now he was looking at Chris with very thinly veiled irritation. It was a look that was becoming all too familiar.
"I dunno. You just looked it" Chris shrugged. "I guess I'm sorry I didn't ask your permission to use it or anything. I figured you wouldn't really care. As for the whole naked thing, well, I didn't wanna just take something of yours. I don't know about you but I don't feel right going commando in another man's fatigues. If you get my drift" He shrugged again and bit off another hunk of bread. "Unless that's your thing of course" He added as he drank the remnants of his bowl. Leon opened his mouth to reply but he was quickly cut off. "Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against gay guys. Everyone's entitled to get theirs and it doesn't matter who with. Personally I prefer women" He stuck his finger in the bowl and ran it around the rim before licking it clean noisily. "Anyway, even if I was, I don't really think the gays would go for a guy like me" He pushed his bowl away and grabbed an apple from the wooden fruit bowl. "You've probably noticed that I stink" He crunched the apple loudly. "I smoke a lot and I can never turn down a beer"
"Some guys wouldn't mind that" Leon replied quietly. "You shouldn't listen to stereotypes" He wondered why Chris seemed so eager to talk to him. He'd never known anyone to talk so much and so suddenly. And where the hell had that little monologue on sexuality come from? Was it him or had that come straight out of left field?
"Jill didn't like it" Chris grinned, still munching on the apple. A bit of the juice was starting to dribble down his stubbly chin. "She's an old friend of mine. We dated a while back but it didn't really work out. She said I was too much of an oaf for her" He added with a smile. "Anyway, that's enough about me. How come you're here"?
"You say that like I'm not here by choice" Leon answered, pushing his own half empty bowl of stew away. The sights and sounds of Chris devouring the apple would be too much for even the strongest of stomachs.
"Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall, you know that"? Chris was now done with the apple and was in the process of lighting a cigarette. "We should at least try to get to know each other"
"Why"? Leon challenged. "I told you before. This is just money to me. Nothing more. I don't need friends" He said, getting up from the table and gathering together the dirty bowls and cups. "I'd ask you not to smoke in the house but chances are you'll probably ignore me" He spat. "Oh, by the way" He dumped the dirty dishes in the sink. "I assume the toiletries I bought for you are to your liking? I don't fancy the idea of making a second trip"
"Yeah, they're fine" Chris stubbed his cigarette out on his side plate. Leon probably had a point when it came to the ignoring thing but for now he figured he should respect the house rules. The thought of Leon kicking him out still hung over his head. "The only problem now is clothes" He added. "I've only got these" He pointed to the clothes he was wearing which were already beginning to smell less than fresh. He dreaded to think the state they'd be in after the mission.
"I can wash those for you" Leon replied, filling the sink with water. He kept his back to Chris as he spoke. "Just leave them outside your room when you go to bed. I'd say I hope you don't mind sleeping naked but frankly I wouldn't mean it and I know that you wouldn't mind it"
"Of course I wouldn't" Chris replied with a knowing grin.
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Chris awoke the next morning to a totally silent house. Again, this was something that he wasn't used to. There was always some kind of noise in his apartment building, whether it was the sounds of people leaving for work or the people above flushing their toilet or taking showers. It was ever so slightly disconcerting. As he rolled over in bed, he could see the rays of sunlight peeking through a crack in the curtains. Using that as his logic, he figured it was a pretty nice day outside. He moved back onto his back and idly stroked his semi-erect penis. He hadn't had much in the way of sex in a while and it seemed that sleeping naked had aroused him. He wouldn't if Leon would be pissed if he got spunk on the immaculate sheets. He supposed he could always do it into one of his socks but, considering he only had one pair of socks right now, it didn't seem like the best of ideas. He quickly decided that masturbating seemed more trouble than it was worth at the moment and he would only do so if his slight morning wood refused to go away.
A few minutes later and he was fine to get up. He rolled out of bed and grabbed the discarded towel from the carpet. As Leon had requested, he'd left his clothes outside the door the previous night. For Leon's benefit, he wrapped the towel around his waist to cover himself up. There seemed to be no signs of life as he wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen area. He could only assume that Leon was out doing the shopping or something like that. He stretched and looked out of the kitchen window to see his now clean clothes flapping in the breeze on a washing line. Chris never really understood the point of drying clothes outside. Jill had always said something about it making them smell nice but the only time Chris had tried line drying his clothes, a bird had come along and crapped on them so understandably, he was sour on that particular subject.
He turned his attentions to breakfast. He had a quick root through the kitchen cupboards and came across a box of cereal. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a box of Lucky Charms, but some horrible healthy fibre crap. Deciding to make the best of what he had, he poured himself a big bowlful and added a liberal splash of milk as well as four spoonfuls of sugar before sitting down on the sofa and digging in. If he'd been at home, he'd have spent his morning watching TV or playing a few rounds of Call of Duty but neither of those were an option at Leon's house. Aside from the hot tub, Leon didn't seem to have much that he could use to wind down. Maybe that was why he was such an asshole.
Chris almost dropped his bowl of cereal as he heard the front door bang. Leon entered the lounge area carrying a couple of plastic bags. He was dressed a little more casually this time, in black jeans and a black t-shirt. He didn't look particularly pleased to see Chris eating on the sofa.
"What's in those"? Chris asked, spraying half masticated cereal and milk over the arm of the sofa.
"I picked some clothes up for you" Leon replied, looking disgusted at the sudden mess. "I took the liberty of phoning the airport for you considering you don't speak a word of Spanish. They said they'd look into it for you and phone back when they find it"
And it was things like that that utterly confused Chris. One minute Leon was making snide comments at him like he really couldn't stand him, the next he was doing nice things for him like calling the airport on his behalf. Chris had never known anything like it.
"You mean you did something nice"? He blurted, regretting it almost immediately. Leon didn't say anything, but he rolled his eyes and dumped the bags by the arm of the sofa.
"If you want to look at it that way then yes" He said, heading into the kitchen area and grabbing a nearby tea towel.
"How did you know what size to get me"? Chris asked, nodding at the bags on the floor.
"How do you think"? Leon said as he wiped the cereal and milk mess off the arm of the sofa. Chris was learning very quickly that Leon was an extremely tidy person and couldn't abide mess of any kind.
"Um...you guessed"? Chris suggested. He had no clue what clothes sizes people were but maybe Leon was one of those people who could just guess and get it right.
"Of course I didn't guess" Leon snapped. He was back in the kitchen now, getting himself a drink of orange juice from the large American style fridge. "I just looked at the labels in your clothes. Any idiot would think to do that" He looked pointedly at him knowing full well Chris wouldn't have thought of something like that.
"Alright. There's no need to be a jerk about it" Chris shrugged, feeling his anger rising. He dumped his cereal bowl on the coffee table for the simple fact that he knew the act would piss his partner off. It was the small victories like that that made him feel better. He grabbed the bags. "I'll go and try these on then" He muttered as he headed for the stairs.
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"Dennis, enough is enough alright"? Leon was trying his hardest not to shout down the phone but Dennis was being particularly annoying. He'd held off from complaining about Chris for as long as he could but he was just about at breaking point. He shouldn't have accepted the whole partner thing. He knew from the off that it would be a mistake. It wasn't as if he even needed the money anyway. He could've just hung around for a while, waited for a more desirable or, more importantly, solo mission to crop up. If he'd stuck to his guns and said no from the beginning, he wouldn't be stuck with what was probably the most annoying man in the world. "You're going to have to get rid of him. He's lazy, he's stupid, he's incompetent, he doesn't listen and he's just going to slow me and this mission down"
"Is that all that's wrong with Mr Redfield"? Dennis sounded amused. "Don't worry about it. You know his background. He's highly skilled and experienced" He continued. Leon could hear the tapping of his fingers on the keyboard as he spoke. "I know you're not a fan of working with others but whatever problems you're having, I'm sure you can overcome them. If it makes the deal any sweeter then I'm sure I can arrange for your money to be doubled"
"It's not the money Dennis" Leon sighed. "It's-"
"Then perhaps triple"? Dennis offered. "I can't stress how potentially dangerous this mission is. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt or even killed because you're adamant about working alone. You can only play the part of lone wolf for so long Leon" He sighed. "Look, I'm going to have to go. I have an important meeting to attend. I don't want to play hard ball with you but I would prefer that our next professional contact be a status report on the mission"
With that, Dennis hung up. Leon knew there was no point complaining about Chris again. When Dennis entered his hard ass mode, it meant it was the end of any discussion.
"For fuck's sake"! He cursed, hurling his phone at the sofa. "Why must I be cursed with a partner who wouldn't look out of place in Planet of the Apes!..." Leon's voice trailed off as he turned round and found himself face to face with Chris. The older man was wearing the khaki combats and black t-shirt he'd purchased for him.
"I was coming to apologise for calling you a jerk" Chris said calmly. He folded his arms across his broad chest. The effect was somewhat intimidating. "You're not a jerk really. You've let me stay here and you've cooked and you've bought stuff for me and for that I'm grateful" He cleared his throat and looked rather hurt. "I didn't realise that your opinion of me was that low"
Leon automatically opened his mouth to protest and tell Chris that he hadn't meant what he said but stopped himself. He had to credit Chris with some intelligence. It was pretty obvious to anyone that he meant every single word he'd said.
"I suppose it shows that you actually have feelings" Chris continued with a shrug of his shoulders. It wasn't the casual, careless shrug Leon was used to. It was more forlorn. "Here was me thinking that you were this weird impenetrable ice man. Do you think that maybe you could at the very least try to be civil? I mean, you've made it pretty clear that you don't do partners or friends or whatever but if you made an effort to be nice and maybe open up at bit it might make our time together a little easier"
"I can do that" Leon said. Chris' hurt expression disappeared and he smiled, giving Leon an encouraging thumbs up. Leon almost smiled.
0000000
"If there was a speed limit around here I'm pretty sure you'd be breaking it right now" Leon moaned as he clung to the Jeep's dashboard. Now that Chris was relatively settled, they'd started to make headway on the mission. Over a meal last night, they'd studied the mission brief and their first port of call was a cave in the nearby mountains that needed further investigation. There'd been reports of strange activity around the cave and witnesses had made statements about strange vehicles coming and going at all times of day and night. They'd agreed to investigate and Leon had stupidly agreed to let Chris do the driving.
"You should've seen the look on her face when she came home from work"! Chris, seemingly unaware of Leon's frustration, was carrying on with his anecdote. "I mean, she was acting like I'd clubbed a baby seal to death not just made a little mess! How was I supposed to know that stupid blender had a lid"?
"It's generally how you stop the liquid coming out" Leon replied sardonically. Chris however, didn't seem fazed.
"She didn't let me forget that one for ages" He added as he pulled the Jeep to a sudden stop. Leon was almost flung through the windscreen. Wanting to get out of the Jeep as soon as possible, he leapt out of the passenger seat and hurried around to the trunk. Chris joined in and the pair equipped themselves with magnums. Chris also grabbed a shotgun and Leon took his own personal hand gun, the Silver Ghost.
"Dennis seems to think that this cave might be an entrance to a secret facility" Leon said, nodding towards the cave entrance. He strapped a couple of first aid sprays to his belt and handed Chris a torch. "We don't take any stupid risks, we don't shoot who we don't need to and we bring back evidence. We're not taking this place down understand? This is just to scout out the situation. Ready"?
"Locked and loaded partner" Chris replied with a suggestive smile.
0000000
"Well, I wouldn't say this cave looks strange" Chris commented, swinging the beam from his torch across the cave's damp walls.
"Do you ever stop talking"? Leon asked with distaste. He moved around the cave slowly, letting the hip light on his belt guide him. The floor seemed to be as damp as the walls so he trod carefully. He would never admit it, but it was starting to look like Chris was right. They'd been examining it for almost fifteen minutes and had yet to find anything out of the ordinary. The cave looked exactly like any other cave you might come across. It wasn't like Dennis' sources to be wrong though. If there was nothing strange going on, how did it explain the witness statements?
"I hate silence is all" Chris interrupted Leon's thoughts with yet another inane comment of absolutely no relevance to the mission at hand. He decided not to justify it with a response. Whilst he had agreed to make more of an effort with Chris, it didn't mean he had to force small talk. He ran his gloved hand across the damp stone wall, hoping to feel for some sort of switch or lever. There had to be something they were missing!
"Fuck"! Chris sudden explained. Leon turned around and, in the low light, he could see the shape of his bulky partner hopping around the cave.
"What did you do now"? He asked coldly.
"That's real nice that is" Chris spat, still hopping. "I just nearly broke my fucking foot cos of something stupid thing sticking out of the ground and-"
At that, Leon raced over to where Chris was hopping and dropped to his knees. He scanned the area with his hip light, looking for the thing that Chris had tripped over. A thick metal handle was sticking out of the ground barely a foot away from him. He crawled forward and, on closer inspection, the handle was attached to what looked like a very heavy manhole cover.
"I'm fine by the way" Chris continued sarcastically. He'd stopped his hopping but he was now shifting from foot to foot, obviously still in pain. Leon snorted, if the big brave ex Air Force guy couldn't handle a little pain then he really needed to grow a pair.
"Are you helping me with this or not"? Leon demanded. The handle was long enough for two people to hold at the same time. It looked as if it was designed that way. After a moan and a wounded look, Chris limped over and, on Leon's count of three, the two of them grabbed the handle and pulled hard.
The manhole cover opened with a rusty creak and a dim light flooded the cave around them. A metal ladder lead downwards into the hole, but it was too long for them to see exactly what it led to.
"You ready"? Leon nodded at the ladder. "I'll go first" He added without waiting for Chris' reply. They'd finally found what they were looking for and that was a good sign. If the whole mission went as smoothly then it wouldn't be long before his new partner would be on a plane back to America and his life could get back to normal with no irritating interruptions.
000000
The trip down the ladder was long and uneventful. The rungs seemed endless as they went further and further underground. Chris seemed to be finally keeping his mouth shut and Leon wasn't in any hurry to invite the oaf to start talking again. The further down the narrow hole they went, the colder the temperature got. When the passage finally widened and they got to the bottom of the ladder, they found themselves in a corridor. The walls and ceiling were constructed from sheets of dull grey metal and the floor was made up of a series of tarnished metal grills. Leon looked down to see a tangled network of pipes underneath the grills. The corridor led both to the left and to the right.
"This way" Leon nodded to the left and was surprised to find absolutely no argument from his partner. They had no map or guide to help them so Leon was working on instinct alone. Could it be that his new partner was finally starting to show him a bit of respect and actually letting him get on with his job? He turned around to give Chris some further instruction but he wasn't there. Since Chris hadn't passed him, the only logical direction he could've gone was to the right. Leon rolled his eyes. He knew it was all too good to be true to actually expect his partner to behave. He sloped angrily down the corridor to the right and soon found his wayward partner who seemed to be studying a large metal door with great interest. The door was at least twice his partner's height and width and had a keypad to the left. It was this keypad that Chris seemed interested in, examining it with a hand on his hip. Leon glared at his partner's wide back before stalking over to him.
"This is a big door" Chris commented when Leon approached him. "I'm willing to bet there's something important behind it" He added, still puzzling over the keypad.
"I said we were going left" Leon replied through gritted teeth. He resisted the urge to shout, not wanting to possibly draw attention to their presence. Chris, as seemed to be usual now, totally disregarded his comment and started to type seemingly random numbers into the keypad. "What the hell are you doing"? He snarled as Chris continued to tap away at the keypad. Eventually, it admitted a loud bleep.
"There" Chris grinned at Leon, oblivious to the younger man's icy glare. "If you try to guess the password on these things, the system locks you out after a few tries"
"So what"? Snapped Leon rudely.
"Well usually when the system locks you out then you need a call an engineer to unlock it for you. They all use the same code and I happen to know the engineer's code for this particular model" Chris smirked at him smugly. Leon shook his head in despair and, in doing so, he noticed an odd gooey liquid seeping out from under the door. A strange smell suddenly invaded his nostrils. It smelt like a mixture of rotting flesh and old damp carpet. He hadn't smelt anything so foul since the streets of Raccoon City.
"Don't touch that keypad"! He ordered, taking a few steps back. He instinctively reached for his magnum. The door emitted a double beep and, to his horror, started to slide upwards. As the door slowly opened, the smell got a lot worse.
"Oops" came Chris' sheepish reply. The door was opening at an alarming rate. They could turn around and run but if there was something behind it, it would almost certainly catch up with them before they could reach the ladder. Leon couldn't believe that the mission had gone wrong so quickly. So much for the quick in and out reconnaissance trip. The smell was choking now and it was accompanied by a low, guttural moan.
Suddenly, with a sound similar to a whip cracking, a large thick tentacle shot out from the widening gap. Chris let out a surprised gasp and grabbed his magnum. He and Leon opened fire on the tentacle which was thrashing around wildly. It was thick and pulsating and covered in brutal looking spines. Instead of exploding in a mess of blood and gore as Chris expected, its slimy flesh seemed to repel the bullets.
"Shit! Bullets just bounce off of this thing"! He exclaimed.
"We can't do this" Leon shouted back, dodging the tentacle. "We're not prepared. We need to go back"
"The override switch"! Chris nodded towards the keypad. He reached for it but was beaten back by the tentacle. The door was still opening and now the gap was bigger, more tentacles were joining the first, squeezing through the gap and filling the corridor. "Fuck" Chris cursed. He took aim and fired. There was no time for messing about with switches. He needed to take action now. His bullet hit the keypad and it exploded in a mass of sparks. The door made a horrible screeching, grating noise and stopped moving. Leon dodged the flying debris of the keypad and with another horrible whip crack, one of the tentacles shot out, striking him across the left side of his body. With a grunt of pain, he almost collapsed to the floor. He saved himself just in time and dodged to the side, albeit clumsily, as the tentacle went for a second attack. He swayed as he righted himself. Chris darted forward and grabbed hold of his partner's shoulder, yanking him out of the way and pushing down the corridor in the direction of the ladder.
Whatever was behind the door certainly wasn't impressed at its potential escape route being cut off. With its tentacles still flailing, it started to ram itself bodily into the metal. Chris felt his heart race as its first impact made a considerable dent in the door. He certainly didn't want to see what those tentacles belonged to.
"Let's get out of here" He yelled as he started to run down the corridor. Leon was a little in front, but seemed to be slowing down. Bright red blood was starting to stain his fitted top and he was gripping his side. Chris ran over to the younger man's uninjured side and tried to wrap an arm around his hips in an effort to support him.
"I don't need you" Leon spat as he tried to move away, almost overbalancing.
"Bullshit" Chris said with a quick glance behind them. The corridor was shaking with the efforts of the monster as it tried to break through the door. It was beginning to buckle worryingly. They needed to get to the ladder and soon. Ignore his partner's tone and filthy looks, he lifted him bodily into his arms.
"What the fuck are you doing"? Leon demanded angrily. "Put me the fuck down you big fucking oaf"! He tried to struggle free but grunted when a sharp shot of pain jolted up his side. He could already feel himself getting weak from loss of blood.
"My my Mr Kennedy, that's quite an F Bomb" Chris replied as he continued to thunder down the corridor. "You're gonna have to climb on my back" He said as they reached the ladder. He released Leon who made for the ladder instantly.
"I'm fine" He said stubbornly, stepping onto the first rung. Chris raised a doubtful eyebrow and waited. Leon lifted his right arm with no trouble but when it came to hauling himself up, he faltered. He looked up at the long ladder and knew there was no way in hell he'd be able to make it all the way up under his own steam without losing consciousness. As much as it really bothered him to admit it, he needed his partner right now. Without another word, he grudgingly stepped down from the ladder and nodded at Chris. Chris offered him a goofy grin and squatted down, allowing him to climb up his broad back. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Leon wrapped his arms around the older man's thick neck. A loud roar from further down the corridor urged Chris onto the ladder.
"Let's get out of here" He said as he started to climb. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the amount of blood that was smeared across Leon's arm from where he'd been holding his injured side. It looked like a lot. He knew that the wound must be agony but his partner was keeping a stubborn, stoic silence. All he could hear as he continued to climb was the distant rumblings from the monster and Leon's pained breathing.
Fortunately, the hole at the top was wide enough for them both to get through without Chris having to dislodge Leon from his back. As soon as he was through the hole, Leon started to squirm in an effort to get down from his back.
"I can walk now..." He muttered, releasing Chris' neck and sliding down. Chris cast a nervous glance in his direction. Leon looked awful. His face was pale and his forehead was sweaty. It was the first time that Chris had seen him look anything other than composed and it worried him. The younger man's mouth was set in a grim line of pain and his grey eyes were dull. His eyes suddenly widened when a roar, louder than before, echoed in the cave. He stumbled backwards as the tip of a tentacle appeared from the hole. Chris, thinking fast, grabbed one of the incendiary grenades from his gun belt and tossed it down the hole. He and Leon barely had time to dive out of the way before it exploded, sending a burst of flame down the hole. The monster let out a horrible high pitched scream of pain and the tentacle wilted back into the dark depths of the hole.
"Shit that was close" Chris breathed out, wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand and wiping it on his t-shirt. It wasn't a surprise that he didn't get a reply from Leon but more worrying was the fact that he hadn't gotten back to his feet after the dive. "Fuck"! He cursed, running over to his partner, skidding slightly in the dust. Leon was laying on his uninjured side moaning softly. Chris knelt down beside him.
"We need...to get out of here..." Leon mumbled.
"I know. I just need to check you out first" Chris replied, gently peeling back Leon's fitted top. It was saturated with blood. He felt a wave of nausea hit him as he observed the wound. He didn't want to say it out loud but it looked bad. It seemed that one of the tentacle's spines had ripped into Leon's side, causing a nasty looking gash that was still steadily oozing blood. Chris struggled to recall what his old friend Rebecca Chambers had told him about basic first aid. He'd never been any good at remembering stuff like that. His first priority, he figured, was to try and slow down the blood flow. He pulled off his own t-shirt, grateful that he'd chosen to wear one of the vests Leon had bought him underneath it. He quickly ripped the t-shirt into rough strips and wordlessly started to wind them around Leon's side, putting on as much pressure as he dared. Leon moaned but didn't say anything. The gash was definitely going to need stitches but he'd worry about that later. The makeshift t-shirt bandage would have to do for the mean time. Leon continued to accept this help wordlessly but Chris could tell it was making the younger man uncomfortable to appear so vulnerable. "Do you think you can stand up"? He asked as he pulled the fitted top back down over the bandage.
"Yeah..." Leon replied unconvincingly. He tried to haul himself up into a sitting position but he was obviously starting to feel light headed.
"Right, I'll carry you" Chris said. He didn't wait for Leon to object. He gently placed his arms under his partner's body and once again lifted him into his arms. Leon's face screwed up in pain at the sudden movement but he didn't protest. Chris walked as quickly as he dared back to the Jeep. Luckily, nobody seemed to be in a hurry to come and investigate the explosion from the grenade. Hopefully that meant that the facility was unstaffed. When they made it back to the Jeep, Chris helped Leon into the passenger seat before getting into the vehicle himself. He turned on the engine and flicked on the radio. It blared out the opening notes of the classic disco song 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor. Chris couldn't help but see the irony. He wasn't sure whether he was genuinely amused or whether he was just relieved to be alive, but he started to laugh. This seemed to draw a glare, albeit a weak one, from Leon.
"Oh come on, it's funny" Chris said, gesturing towards the radio. Leon narrowed his eyes and shook his head, slumping down in his seat. Chris rolled his eyes and pulled away from the cave entrance. He'd prefer to never return but now they'd found proof that the facility existed, it didn't seem very likely. "I don't wanna bug you when you're feeling shit but I really don't get you. What's the deal with this whole non emotion showing robot ice man thing you've got going on or is it just some act"?
"If you don't want to bug me you should shut up" Leon replied, closing his eyes. His side was really beginning to hurt now and he was feeling faint from the loss of blood.
"Well you could at least thank me for saving your ass back there" Chris continued as he pulled out onto the main mountain road that would lead them back into the city.
"Or I could berate you for nearly getting us killed" Leon said smoothly, his eyes still closed. "I told you we were going left and you just chose to ignore me" He shook his head. "Do me a favour and do what I say next time" It wasn't a request but a downright order. Chris sighed heavily and concentrated on his driving. He was beginning to think that there was no getting through to this guy.
"You're gonna have to direct me to the hospital"
"No" Leon replied simply. "We're going back to the house"
"You need medical attention..." Chris argued. His partner's stubborn side was really beginning to get on his nerves.
"That's my problem not yours. Take me back to the house"
"Whatever you say" Chris said, resigned. If Leon didn't want to go to the hospital then he couldn't make him. It looked as if Leon hadn't meant it when he'd said that he'd tried to be civil.
000000
The drive back to Leon's house was long and full of silence. Chris hadn't wanted to drive too fast in case it caused the younger man pain. Leon had declined his offer of help and had awkwardly limped to the front door, still bleeding. Once inside, Chris had attempted to help but Leon swore at him violently. He could only watch helplessly as his partner pulled a first aid kit out of a cupboard and slowly climbed the stairs. Seconds later, Chris heard the bathroom door slam. He flopped down into the armchair and wondered if he should call Dennis. He couldn't imagine that Leon would be very pleased if he did that. He sighed heavily. He couldn't imagine that Leon was ever very pleased. But it was too late to back out now. They'd found out that something certainly was going on in the depths of the cave and that meant they had to see it through whether they wanted to or not. It was times like this that Chris resented his crusade against bio-terrorism.
The phone started ringing. There were no stirrings from upstairs. Chris wondered whether or not he should answer. He let it ring a couple more times and then made an executive decision. So what if Leon was pissed that he answered it? Leon was pissed full stop.
"Hello"?
"Good Afternoon, may I speak to Mr Chris Redfield"? A kind voice asked. She had a Spanish accent but her command of English was very good.
"That's me" Chris replied.
"I'm calling in regards to some baggage that was reported missing" The woman continued. "I have an update for you but unfortunately the news isn't good I'm afraid. We haven't been able to locate your bag in our lost property department. It would seem that your bag was removed from the area you left it in by someone other than a member of our staff"
"It got stolen"?
"It very much looks that way Sir"
"Shit. Well, thanks for the call" Chris replied, replacing the handset. That was a pain in the ass. He hadn't had anything particularly valuable in his bag but it did mean he was going to have to cancel his credit cards and sort out a new passport. He jumped as he heard the stairs creak. Leon was slowly climbing down them, dressed in grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt. Chris could make out the soft bulk of a bandage on his left side. The younger man was still horribly pale and looked like he needed a good long rest. He wordlessly took a seat on the sofa and grabbed his laptop. Chris figured that he was sending a mission report to Dennis or something. He'd probably also be mentioning Chris' act of insubordination. Chris flopped back into the armchair. He wasn't going to even try and argue. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong. Splitting up meant they had the chance to cover more ground and get the job done quicker and wasn't that what Leon wanted? It had always worked for him and Jill. She'd go one way, he'd go the other and the job would be done before they knew it. He supposed he did feel guilty that Leon got hurt but that was a risk of their job. He sighed heavily once more.
"I could do with a drink" He said aloud, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't expecting any sort of response so it was a surprise when Leon spoke.
"I don't have beer if that's what you're thinking" He said. Well that was a big surprise. Leon didn't look like the beer drinking type. If he did indeed drink, it would probably be something really uppity and snobby like red wine. Chris pulled a face. He hated wine. Leon looked up from his laptop. "But I do have some whiskey. It's in the cupboard next to the fridge. You can fetch me a glass too"
"Should you really be drinking in your state"? Chris asked trying not to sound concerned. He didn't really want Leon knowing that he actually kind of cared. He hauled himself out of his chair and padded into the kitchen area.
"Sometimes only a stiff drink will do" Leon replied as Chris started to root around in the cupboard. He located the amber liquid and returned with the bottle and two glasses. He pressed one into Leon's outstretched hand. Chris shrugged and poured him a healthy measure. Hell, he wasn't Leon's nurse. If he wanted to have a drink then it was Leon's look out, not his. He poured himself a glass and dumped the bottle on the coffee table between them. He settled back into the comfortable armchair and drained half his glass in one gulp. After the stresses of the day, the warming liquid was welcome. He felt his body relax as the whiskey burned the back of his throat. He loved the warm feeling in his stomach that would follow. Leon was right. Sometimes only a stiff drink would do.
Chris watched Leon work for a while, slowly knocking back more of the whiskey. He didn't consider himself an expert on the stuff but it seemed expensive. It figured. Leon seemed like the type to have expensive tastes. The clothes that he'd bought to replace Chris' missing ones were a better quality than Chris was used to. He wondered how much they'd cost. Leon hadn't even asked him for any money back. Chris wasn't sure what to make of Leon. He was certainly a confusing character but didn't seem like bad person. He supposed that he deserved an apology.
"Sorry I screwed up back there" He said suddenly, before he could change his mind. "I guess I didn't do all that much to raise your expectations of me"
"Don't worry" Leon replied shortly, knocking back his drink in one. "They weren't high to begin with. I've always thought that you were the gung-ho, act first think later type and today you proved me right" He wiped his mouth and ran a hand through his blonde hair. His forehead had a light sheen of sweat glistening on it and he seemed to be in pain. It was on the tip of Chris' tongue to ask him how he was feeling but Leon's words had stung and had sort of hurt his feelings. After all, he'd only tried to apologise and that was because he thought it was the polite thing to do not because he'd actually done something wrong. He finished his second glassful and poured himself another large measure. He slid the bottle over to Leon who did the same. Chris watched the whiskey swirl around in his glass for a moment. He opened his mouth to try and defend himself but Leon, now seemingly on the warpath, beat him to the punch.
"I don't get you" He said acidly. "You're supposed to be elite" He pushed the laptop to one side. "You have extensive training, both military and police, and I would've thought that that meant you'd be able to follow a simple command. I asked you to go in a specific direction and you did the opposite. I asked you not to interfere with that damn keypad and you did the opposite yet again. Your inability to follow these two simple commands endangered both of our lives and the status of the mission"
"You're a pompous ass" Chris shot back. He drained his glass and poured another one. He was done trying to argue back logically. The alcohol was loosening his inhibitions and he'd had enough of Leon's bad attitude and snarky tone. "You'd had a downer on me since I first stepped foot into Dennis' office. You act like you're this perfect example that we should all follow but guess what buddy, you're just a guy" He could hear that he was slurring his words and probably sounded stupid but he was past caring. He was taking his chance to call Leon on his behaviour and he wasn't going to stop now. He was a beer drinker by nature and wasn't used to whiskey, its effects seemed to be fuelled by the anger he felt at his partner. "You need to learn to actually communicate with words, not filthy looks and snorts like some bitch. It's not healthy to keep your emotions bottled up, it's not natural. I'm not surprised you don't do partners. No-one in their right mind would ever choose to work with an ass like you"
"Feel better now"? Leon calmly downed his glass and helped himself to more. "Don't presume to know anything about me" He added sharply. "You don't know a thing about me"
"I know you're a pompous ass" Chris repeated his earlier insult. He'd ditched the stupid glass now and was taking direct hits from the bottle. "I thought you were gonna try and make the effort to get along with me. Remember that? You're doing a pretty crap job of it" His head was starting to feel fuzzy from the whiskey and it made it harder for him to think straight. He looked over at Leon who'd had just as much as him to drink but still seemed to be as calm and collected as ever. What the hell was it with this guy? Did anything make him react? It wasn't even any fun to argue with the guy cos he just took whatever you said and replied in that stupid calm voice. "So" He said, wanting to move on from his tirade. "How's your side"?
"The alcohol has helped" Leon answered, he reached over and snatched the bottle. He took a swig straight from it. Chris grinned at this unexpected action. Maybe Leon was a little drunker than he seemed.
"You know that's like we just kissed" Chris slurred after Leon was done drinking. Leon rolled his eyes at him and passed the bottle back.
"Maybe if you're eight years old" He replied in a tone quite unlike the one Chris was familiar with. It was no longer sarcastic or acidic and could almost be considered to be good natured. Chris wondered if the alcohol was finally beginning to loosen his partner up a bit. That definitely wouldn't be a bad thing.
"So, how did you end up working for the Government"? Chris asked. The younger man was a total mystery to him and he figured that he might as well try and take advantage of his partner's sudden loss of inhibitions and more relaxed nature.
"I was a cop" Leon replied as he laid down on the sofa, resting his head on the squashy arm and propping his feet up on a cushion. "It was my first day as a fully fledged cop and I arrived in a city that just happened to have experienced a major viral outbreak"
"Raccoon"? Chris offered. Leon turned to look at him, unable to hide the look of surprise on his face. Chris flashed a small smile. "Yeah. I know all about that. Don't suppose you heard of the mansion incident"?
"The incident that got the S.T.A.R.S team suspended" Leon confirmed. "That's how I ended up getting a job with the RPD. I was the first of eight new recruits. The team I was assigned to was a special forces team to replace S.T.A.R.S" He explained. He reached out for the whiskey bottle and Chris gladly passed it over. "It was like driving straight into hell. Everywhere you looked there were bodies, dead and decaying, feasting on other corpses...the smell of rotting flesh hanging in the air...hell on earth" He took a deep swig, refusing to make eye contact. He hadn't spoken about Raccoon for years. The alcohol was clouding his mind, making it harder for him to think. He hadn't intended to share so much but it'd just come out. It was scary how natural it felt. He hadn't felt a connection like this since...since Jack.
"My sister was on her way to find me but luckily I managed to get a message to her telling her to stay away. Otherwise she'd have walked straight into it as well" Chris shuddered at the thought of his little sister trapped in such a nightmare. "I'd hate to think what could've happened to her. Don't get me wrong, she's tough, but still..."
"I found a child" Leon carried on speaking with a far away look in his eyes, almost as if he hadn't heard Chris speak at all. It was almost like he couldn't stop talking now that he'd started. "Sherry her name was. She'd been trapped in the police station for days. She was terrified. Couldn't find her parents...couldn't find anyone" He swallowed hard. "She was being followed the whole time by this...this thing...this monster who turned out to be the remains of her father. I managed to get her out of there and out of that city...eventually the government tracked me down and I didn't really have much of choice regarding working for them"
"Do you still see Sherry"? Chris might be a little drunk but he could tell he was sailing into dangerous waters. He only needed to look at Leon to see that his past still bothered him. He could tell from the way Leon had said Sherry's name that he obviously still cared about her a lot. Not that Chris could blame him. They'd been through hell and back and had escaped together. That sort of experience formed strong bonds. Chris knew that from experience.
"I took care of her for a while" Leon answered. "But I don't see her now" He continued guardedly. He still didn't meet Chris' eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. It was clear that Sherry was a very sensitive subject. Chris reached for the bottle and took another big sip. Emboldened by the fiery alcohol raging down his throat, he reached out and gave Leon's shoulder a quick pat.
"I'm sorry Leon" He said gently. He wasn't really sure why. It could've been for the whole Raccoon city misfortune or it could've been a genuine apology for what happened back at the facility. He braced himself for the inevitable vitriolic comment. It came as a surprise when Leon simply looked at the hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks" He replied quietly. His lips quirked slightly as if he was about to smile but he didn't allow it to get that far. Chris kept his hand on Leon's shoulder. All in all, it hadn't been a wholly unpleasant evening and there was something strangely natural about the way his hand rested on the younger man's shoulder.
End of Chapter One