Chapter 2
If there was one thing that Leon S. Kennedy could be positive of, it was that he didn't know anything anymore. Then again he wasn't sure if he ever knew much at all. He wasn't sure what he was doing with his life or what had led him to the path that he was on. Everything seemed predetermined, like he had no options at all in his life and just had to hang onto the train as it went speeding off the tracks.
The fight with Neo-Umbrella had taken a toll on them all. Helena Harper had quit the secret service not long afterwards and her whereabouts were unknown. Leon had the sneaking suspicion that she had gone off on her own to track down members of Neo-Umbrella in a valiant but deadly game of revenge for her sister. He was sure that he would cross paths with her again one day. All of them intersected each other's lives at some point. They were the survivors, the ones who had made it. The handful of people who had somehow survived, like cockroaches after a nuclear blast. He had been there from the beginning, from Raccoon City and now it seemed as if the war with the BOWs would continue for the rest of his life. It wasn't something to look forward to but who else would do it?
Leon looked out the window of his apartment, noticing the brightly colored flowers that were springing in the park beside his building. Birds flew by and a mother was sitting with her toddler on a bench by the fountain. He could hear their faint laughter as the mother tossed a coin into the clear water, no doubt making a wish that her baby would grow up and be happy.
That was one thing he hadn't been able to do after China. Be happy. It was something that Helena had noticed and had spoken to him about but of course he shrugged it off. It's not like he was going to blow his brains out. No, the world needed him too much. That was what wearied him. He owed something to the world, all of them did. Claire, Helena, Chris, Sherry, even Ada. They were all forced to protect people from Umbrella simply because they had the misfortune of being there when it all went down. It was a heavy burden.
A faint ringing bounced off of the walls of his apartment and drew his attention. He pulled the cellphone out of his pocket and looked at the caller id. Not surprisingly it said 'private'. No one else ever called him, no one personal.
"Yes?"
"Leon? It's Hunnigan." her lovely voice filtered through the speaker. His heart began to thud. He knew that when Hunnigan called it had to mean that something was wrong somewhere.
"Good to hear from you."
"Relax, Leon. Nothing serious. I just have a simple pick up request for you."
"Pick up request? Can't you get someone else to do this?" he said with a slight air of annoyance. He was far past the time when he had to go pick someone up or drop them off, no matter how important they may be. He had paid his dues and done his time with that lackey work and he didn't appreciate being asked to do it now.
"I know but I thought you may want to since it's someone you know."
"Someone I know? Who?"
"Chris Redfield. The BSAA is returning from Spain with important information that the President would like to see. He needs an escort there. I can send someone else." For a moment there was an awkward silence and Leon didn't know how to answer. He knew that he should, considering there was a link between him and the Chris and it would be good to ask about Claire and see how the Neo-Umbrella mission in Spain had gone, but at the same time there were a few very good reasons why it seemed like a bad idea.
"Alright, when do I need to be there?" He finally caved, agreeing to something that he knew he probably shouldn't.
"In three hours. The gate information will be sent to you. Thanks Leon."
"Thanks Hunnigan." 'I think' he added in his head, mentally kicking himself for agreeing. The history between Chris and himself was something that had become as twisted as his relationship with Ada. He sighed and slumped into his couch, preparing himself for the meeting of a lifetime.
It was only when Chris was waiting at the baggage claim that he saw Leon. He couldn't miss him, that was for sure. Tall and muscular, with the body that only swimmers and runners seemed to be able to achieve. Not too big but solidly built. He had seen Leon in action, had actually fought with him before, and so he knew what the man was capable of.
"Looks like I'm your escort today." Leon said softly and it was obvious that he wasn't thrilled. Chris looked back at his men, all of them grabbing their bags and being met by loved ones. He wished that he was one of them, with someone who they loved coming to pick them up and take them home. Instead, he had Leon Kennedy, a man who a few months ago had asked something of him that he could never forget.
"Yeah I guess. Let's get this over with then." Chris said and shouldered his bag. He followed Leon out of the airport and into the maze of the parking deck. He couldn't help but stifle a laugh when it was obvious that Leon had forgotten exactly where he had parked. He looked so annoyed when he was lost, his brow tightening and a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. Chris could practically hear the steam about to shoot out of his ears. Finally they landed on the right floor and they loaded into his car. Chris had to admit he was a little surprised. He had expected Leon to drive some crazy sports car but it was a pretty conservative sedan. 'Guess you can't judge a book by its cover after all'. A few moments had passed and Chris noticed that Leon had yet to put the key into the ignition and instead he was staring off into the distance, the same glazed over look that Chris was sure he sported on the airplane.
"Hey, are we going to go or what? I don't have all day." he said roughly, knowing what was coming and not looking forward to the road that they were going down.
"Yeah, sorry." Leon replied, finally starting the car. A few more seconds of tense silence followed.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong?" Chris said, finally, feeling like he had been defeated.
"I shouldn't have done this."
"Yeah well you probably shouldn't have done a lot of things but you did. Can we go?"
"What shouldn't I have done, Chris?" Leon asked, looking into the older man's eyes. Chris shifted in his seat, the anger that only Leon could bring beginning to rise up in his throat like bile.
"You asked me to do that to you and I did it. What else could I have done?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? I will never understand you and I will never forgive you. I want you to know that."
"Forgive me for what?" Leon asked, a genuine shock gracing his delicate features. More moments passed with no one speaking, until it became so unbearable that Chris couldn't take it any longer.
"For turning me into a monster. I didn't want to hurt you and you asked me to and I was disgusted but I did it."
"Why did you do it then?" Leon asked before suddenly taking the car out of park and driving quickly out of the parking deck. It was obvious to Chris that this was a question that the dirty blonde didn't want him to answer and if he was honest to himself he didn't know why he did it either. Both of them had been on a week-long break after the disaster and they bonded over shared sorrows and hardships. He remembered the night well, as if it had been only days before and not months. 'I just feel the need to hurt sometimes, Chris.' he remembered Leon had said to him, a look of rawness in his eyes that almost pained him to see. He remembered Leon's breath carried the sweet smell of tequila and he licked his lips out of nervousness.
As Leon continued to drive down the highway Chris continued in the memory of that night, the night he wished he could take back. Somehow they had ended up at the house Chris rented at the time, both of them half drunk. He remembered Leon unbuttoning his pants in the taxi, his warm hand reaching inside to caress his cock through his boxers while stealing glances at the driver to make sure he wasn't getting suspicious. Nothing too vulgar but enough that Chris wanted more. In the house they continued touching, drunkenly tripping over chairs and tables. It was then, Chris remembered, that things had taken a turn. 'If you want it you have to take it.' Leon had said, his voice serious. 'Leon, I don't know what you mean..' 'If I asked you to hurt me, would you do it?' Chris swallowed hard as he remembered it. Something like that would have been out of the question, at least if it hadn't been escalated like it had. 'No I won't, I can't' he had said. He remembered that Leon had looked at him with such a look of regret that it stung to the present day. 'Is this about your partner? He's not here anymore, Chris, you can't give anything more to him. Gone. Dead, Chris.'
The anger that he felt at the moment was something he hoped he would never feel again. He could barely contain the rage that was exploding inside of him. Something inside of him had snapped and he decided that it may feel good to take Leon up on his offer. That was how it had started and it was something Chris regretted. By the end of the night he had felt disgusted, not with Leon, but with himself. He felt that he had been compromised that night and ever since had held a grudge against the man who had caused it.
Chris barely even noticed that they were parked in front of a large government building, all brick with giant white columns at the entrance. He could see guards at the entrance of the building and on the roof. He felt Leon finally cutting the engine, both of them not moving. Chris wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do.
"Should I say I'm sorry, Chris?" Leon finally said softly.
"I don't know."
"Why are you so upset about it?" The other man asked and Chris considered this for a moment, taking the time to sort out what he was trying to say.
"I don't want to hurt people, not even if they want to be hurt. I'm not a monster. Nothing like that will ever happen again." he said briskly, unbuckling his seatbelt and beginning to slide out of the car. All he wanted to do was get this over with and get a hotel. Get some sleep.
"Chris?" Leon said softly, causing Chris to turn and sit back in his seat, looking at him in exasperation. What else could the man possibly say about that night?
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry about Piers. I really am."
