He found her on the roof, sitting with her legs dangling on the edge, staring blankly at the night sky. Her fingers were twiddling with a bottle of vodka, swaying it absentmindedly. He had every intention of calling out to her, but as he stood by the top of the fire escape, a question of purpose, of motive, suddenly popped in his head.
What was he doing here?
Why did he follow her?
But the better question was, why did he find himself searching for her all evening whenever a lull in a conversation occurred, whenever he moved rooms, whenever someone would utter her name, or whenever a flash of red would catch his eye? He'd been so aware of her that one of the women he was chatting up eventually took notice. He shook his head.
Perhaps that was what surviving the end of the world did to someone. He didn't understand why exactly, but seeing her reminded him a lot of how he used to be – a starry eyed rookie cop dreaming of making the world a better place, a safer place, by bagging one bad guy after another. He shook his head again. That time felt so long ago.
But more than the reminder of who he used to be, seeing her, being with her, felt a whole lot like… coming home. With her, there was no need for pretenses – no need to act like the hero who always had his shit together. He could be that clueless rookie cop again without any judgment. There was no pressure, no demand, no expectation, to know all the answers.
With her, he could just be… Leon.
She would listen to him when no one else would, call him out on his actions when no one else could, and she always... always had his back – even if he didn't want it, even if he didn't ask for it. She would be there when he least expected it, but always... always when he needed her the most.
The sight of Claire tipping the bottle of vodka over her mouth, chugging a couple of times made his heartache. Did she also spend her nights staring at the bottom of a glass? He wished she didn't. He wished to god she didn't.
All thoughts fled his mind when she began pulling out the pins in her hair, letting soft auburn curls cascade down her back. This was the first time he's ever seen her with it down. She always had it pulled out of her face, mostly in a functional pony tail, ready for anything that would come her way. He started walking towards her before he even realized.
"So this is where you're hiding." He chuckled when she nearly dropped the liquor in her hands, sputtering in surprise.
"Leon…" She panted as her palm slapped against her chest. "You scared the shit out of me!"
"Must be losing your touch, Claire." He smirked as he took off his leather jacket, draping it over her shoulders. "It's freezing out here. Are you trying to get a cold?" He was in a thick cable knit sweater with a turtleneck underneath, but he could still feel the chill in the air. He sighed at her tiredly. What the hell was she doing staying outside wearing only a dress?
He eyed the exposed skin of her neck, gaze trailing across her collar bones before dipping down all the way onto the valley of her– He looked away before his thoughts could veer into dangerous territory, waving a hand at her in dismissal when he realized she'd been trying to give him back his jacket. "You need it more than I do."
He moved to sit beside her on the edge of the roof, putting some bit of distance between them for added measure. Seeing her in that red dress was doing things to him he… wasn't particularly keen on analyzing. When he first saw her walk into Chris' apartment this evening, he was sure whatever went on inside the confines of his chest was something akin to a heart attack.
"I'm not infected, if that's what you're concerned about." Her eyes narrowed at the space between them.
He rubbed at his nape, looking for a way to explain why he needed her to be out of reach. It wasn't because he didn't want to be near her, or that she repulsed him in anyway. Quite the opposite actually.
"If you're worried about someone seeing us together, you should just head back to the party."
He watched her thread her arms through his leather jacket, surprised by how much it engulfed her. In his head, she always seemed so much bigger. She had a commanding presence people just couldn't ignore, and the way she would take charge in the middle of a crisis time and time again proved she was a force to be reckoned with. But now, as she sat just a few feet away from him with his oversized jacket on her shoulders, she looked so small, so frail, so... vulnerable.
How could someone so petite... have all that strength?
"What is that supposed to mean?" He managed to croak out, offended by her words. She was munching on a bar of chocolate now, still not bothering to offer him a glance.
"Exactly what it means." She replied matter-of-factly, as if her statements needed no further explanation.
He let out a sigh at this. He knew what she was alluding to. He didn't really understand when and how it began, but whenever someone would so much as insinuate that they looked like a couple, she was always so quick to dismiss it.
Oh no, no! This is special agent Leon Kennedy. He works with my brother Chris every now and then.
Ah, we're actually not together. We're just friends.
Leon? My boyfriend? Oh, no way! We just go way back, that's all.
It was understandable at first. After all, they really were just friends, but somewhere down the line, the more he heard her fervently deny things between them, he couldn't help but feel… annoyed? Disappointed? Hurt?
As if being mistaken for her boyfriend was something to be embarrassed about! He rolled his eyes. Not to toot his own horn, but he was a pretty good catch. Any woman would be lucky to have him!
He eyed her in silence for a moment, watching as she looked up at the night sky, loudly chewing on a piece of chocolate. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was her inability to look someone in the eye when she was lying.
"Is everything alright, Claire?" He could tell he said the wrong thing because she let out a long, slow breath that told him she was trying her best not to snap. Why she was suddenly so cross with him, he had no idea.
"It's nothing." She replied after some time, making him groan quietly in frustration.
Why did women do that? Say nothing was wrong when something clearly was? He wasn't a mind reader. He couldn't apologize for something he didn't even know was offensive. He couldn't right something he'd done wrong if they wouldn't bother to tell him what he did that pissed them off in the first place.
He moved to close the distance between them when he noticed her attempt to take another sip of vodka. He had every intention of just holding onto the bottle, but the size of it made it difficult to avoid her hand. Or at least, that's what he told himself. "Doesn't seem like it's nothing."
He began to pull her fingers off one by one slowly, gingerly, until his free hand could take the alcohol away from her, placing it behind him and well out of her reach. "Talk to me." He squeezed her hand in his, telling himself it was a gesture of comfort from one friend to another. Nothing more, nothing less.
"What's wrong?" He tried his best to ignore how dainty her fingers were against his as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Just like that he was reminded once again of how delicate she was despite being so capable, despite always being in control. Holding onto her like this made him realize just how easy it was to break her.
At any moment, just like anyone else in his life, anyone else in this world, she could vanish in the blink of an eye. He continued to run his thumb through the back of her hand, using the touch of her skin to anchor him back to the present.
She was here, she was alive, and she wasn't going anywhere.
Not yet, at least.
The sudden image of her broken and lifeless flashed before his eyes, leaving him breathless. He dropped her hand to reach for the bottle of vodka behind him, swallowing the liquid relentlessly until it was wrenched away from his hold. He swiped at the droplets of alcohol that trailed down his chin, still unable to look at her even as she protested.
"This was mine!"
He grabbed the bar of half-eaten chocolate in her hand, scarfing it down in a poor attempt to flood his brain with endorphins. Anything to take that image of her out of his mind. He closed his eyes to focus on getting rid of the picture in his head, barely stopping himself from slamming a palm against his temple. He didn't need those thoughts, didn't want those thoughts, while he was sitting right next to her like this, having survived yet another year of hell.
Sometimes he wondered if it would ever end – this fight against the darkest side of humanity – the side full of greed and malice and violence. And sometimes… sometimes he wondered if things did end, if they did succeed, would he make it out on the other side? Would he still be alive?
Would he still be human?
"Sharing is caring." He reeled himself back in when he heard her soft protest regarding his commandeering of her snack. Placebo or not, at least the chocolate had done him some good. He never cared much for sweets, but he knew dessert was her favorite part of every meal.
"What's gotten you so cranky all of a sudden?"
He could feel her eyes on him – searching, observing – just like she always did whenever she knew something was wrong. He tried, but failed to hide his surprise at having been found out so easily. He was so sure he'd been able to hide the fact that he'd nearly spiraled into a panic attack, so how could she have… how was she just able to… Blue eyes full of worry pushed him to look away, unable to handle the weight of her concern.
"Nuh-uh." He folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head both to center himself and to stand his ground. "We're talking about you, remember?"
He could almost hear the gears in her mind working as they sat in silence, neither one willing to divulge anything, or so it seemed.
"You never flirt with me."
Whatever it was that he thought she was going to say, it definitely wasn't this.
"Why don't you?" She added.
All he could do was gape at her, sputtering as he tried his best to formulate some form of response, anything really, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to string together his words.
"What– Why are you asking me this… all of a sudden?" He turned away from her focused gaze, looking out at the city lights instead, a hundred thoughts whirling through his head.
Why did she want to know? Why would she ask him something like that? Where was she even going with this? But the better question was…
Did she want him to?
"Just curious." She shrugged. "I just noticed you're an incorrigible flirt." She snorted, sending him a playful look of reproach. "I guess, I realized… even though we've known each other all these years, I don't really know anything about you at all."
He saw a flash of hurt in her eyes, just before she turned away, shrugging the whole thing off like it was no big deal.
Leon was never the talkative type, especially about his personal life. His line of work just made that part of him more pronounced, not wanting to reveal anything that might be used against him – anything that could be a form of leverage – but perhaps, just this instance…
Maybe he could make an exemption.
"Well…" He scratched the back of his head, uncertain over what he was about to do. He really wasn't keen on putting himself on the spot, and had half a mind not to go through with it, but the strange melancholic expression on her face made him feel… uncomfortable, restless. It was a look that felt so out of place on her face, and it was making him want to just… do something. Seeing her crestfallen, dejected and just sad, didn't sit right with him. The look just… it didn't suit her.
It didn't suit her at all.
"What would you like to know?" He allowed the words to slip past his lips, making her eyes widen into saucers, clearly not expecting that response from him. He swallowed hard when she continued to stare at him like he'd just turned into one of the undead, her blue eyes shining bright under the light of the full moon. The open way she was gazing at him was almost unbearable, but somehow, someway...
He just couldn't bring himself to look away.
Why was it that whenever she looked at him, really looked at him, he found it so hard to breathe? More so in this moment, with her long auburn curls swaying gently with the breeze, looking more and more like graceful flames under a starry night sky. He could almost feel their embers sparking against his skin as they danced, shrouding him in warmth he hasn't felt in a very, very long time.
It was as if he'd been imprisoned in an eternal winter, doomed to live in the dark, in the cold, and she was his first campfire. He let out a breath at the sight of her, unable to find his voice, unable to find the words to describe whatever it was that she was doing to him.
Was this what salvation felt like?
"Why don't you flirt with me?"
Her question dragged him back to where he was, to who he was – to reality. He cleared his throat. "What's with the question?" He replied, failing to hide the exasperation in his tone.
"Why won't you answer it?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice this time around.
He really would rather not answer that question. "What do you want me to say?" He looked down at his hands, not knowing what to do with them.
"The truth." She insisted, clearly done with all his dodging.
"Why do you want to know?" He faced her head on this time, wanting some answers as well. "Why is it so important to you?"
"Because I–"
Leon didn't think a human face was capable of having that many emotions in the span of three seconds. She turned away from him immediately, no longer willing to finish her sentiment.
"Because?" He pushed on, not wanting to be left hanging.
"I'm just curious." She bit back, throwing him a quick glance over her shoulder, telling him she was done with the conversation. He shook his head. He wasn't.
"Why?" He asserted, not wanting to let go of things just yet.
"Why do you want to know?" She used his words against him, making him stiffen as he eyed her resolute gaze. It was a fair point.
He took a deep breath in, sighing defeatedly at the stalemate they eventually landed in. "Well played." He turned his gaze back to the horizon, understanding that the discussion was over.
The silence that enveloped them was stifling. He could tell she was miffed by their standstill, and he really didn't want to spend the last few minutes of the year, and the next possible seconds of 2008, stuck in an argument with her. Fighting with Claire was something he didn't...
He just hated it.
"Your brother would kill me." He allowed himself to say. It wasn't technically a lie since it was part of the reason why he never allowed himself to cross that line with her.
"Yet you shamelessly flirt with his girlfriend right in front of him."
A chuckle escaped his throat at this. He wanted to tell Claire that he'd done it to finally get Chris to admit he was head over heels for the badass brunette, but now wasn't the time or the place for that conversation. 2007 was about to come to an end, so he really didn't want to talk about Chris while he was sitting right next to her like this.
"Hate to break it to you, Claire, but everyone knows Chris is a hundred times more protective towards you than Jill."
"Good to know my brother is still my biggest cock blocker."
Leon laughed out loud, unable to restrain his amusement at her words. Chris Redfield was such an 'in-your-face' alpha male at work, but whenever his baby sister was involved, he transformed into a strange mix between a spoiler and a helicopter parent. He shook his head at the hilarity of it all.
"I'm sure he means well." He swiped at the tears in his eyes, surprised by how much, and how heartily he laughed. He couldn't remember the last time something like this happened, but it felt… nice.
The sound of an explosion made him flinch, reflexively reaching for the gun in his holster when the sight of colorful sparkling lights made him pause.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Cheers from all around could be heard as fireworks lit up the night sky.
Leon grabbed the bottle of vodka out of Claire's grasp, raising it up towards the glittering sky. "Happy New Year!" He yelled as he emptied the contents in just a few swigs. He turned to grin at her, feeling oddly high at the sight of her bathed in vibrant colors. He took a moment to just look at her, committing the image of her in his head, not knowing when he would get another chance like this again. Finally, he could have something like this with her.
Finally, for once in their lives, they met each other under normal circumstances.
He was just about to wish her a good year ahead when her hands tugged at his shirt, dragging him down onto a set of soft, plump lips.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
In that moment, nothing else registered to him other than the feel of her lips against his. The gesture barely lasted more than a few seconds, but for him, it felt like time had stopped completely.
What was once tiny embers against his skin now engulfed his entire existence, extinguishing his endless winter, drowning him in flames. But there was no pain, only warmth. The touch of her fire vanquished the chill in his bones, the ice in his soul, reminding him of what it was like to feel awake, alive. Claire was… The touch of her was…
It felt so much like home.
She pulled away and he felt cold, empty, in an instant. "Happy New Year..." She whispered against his lips, making him chase after her, leaning in for some more of her warmth, for some more of her touch, for some more of her.
She nudged him off before he could snap out of the trance she put him in, reaching out as she stepped away from the edge of the roof. His fingers grazed the smooth fabric of her dress, but he wasn't quick enough to catch her, to still her, to make her stay.
He pulled himself up and off the edge of the roof, her name at the tip of his tongue, the words wait and please stay ready to slip past his lips, but a large burst of light from the sky blinded him, the sound of the deafening explosion so much like a gunshot it paralyzed him in place.
Just like that, he was brought back to where he was, to who he was – to reality.
He was a special agent sworn by oath to serve the government's top brass, and she was a member of an organization hell bent on exposing the very people he was ordered to protect.
Not only that, her entering the fray now brought her to the attention of all the people in power – people he needed more time to scrutinize, to expose. Who was a friend, and who was a foe? The corruption inside the government was so deeply rooted that even he was beginning to doubt he could ever unearth the core of it all. But if there was one thing he was sure about, it was this.
He would protect her.
Even if it would cost him his job. Even if it would cost him his life. Even if it would cost him her anger, her hatred.
If anyone deserved to live a long and peaceful life, it was her. She's already been through enough. She didn't need to suffer any more than she already had.
If he had a choice in all this, he would have made her turn her back on everything. She could have taken a job away from all the danger, away from all the conspiracy, and live a normal life, safe and happy. The thought of her being with another man, of marrying another man, made a sharp pain erupt in his chest, but he ignored it.
He just wanted her to be alive, needed her to be alive.
He turned away from the fire escape where she disappeared to, fisting his hands to his sides as he swallowed down the urge to go after her. He looked up at the night sky, watching as the last few rays of fireworks disappeared into the dark, not allowing himself to take another step towards her.
This was how things were supposed to be – keep her at arm's length, keep her safe. That was the only thing he needed to do, and that was the only thing that mattered.
He promised her he would end this, and so he would.
A/N: And there you have it! I finally have an explanation why they aren't together in canon lol! My only wish is that Infinite Darkness gets another season with more Cleon moments #partnersincrime
Please Capcom give us scenes with them actually working together (stop splitting them up!) Wishing for badass Claire screen time as well (she is not a side character!) Anyway, that's that! If you're a Cleon fan, do contribute to this fandom please! We need more works with these two together T.T
P.S. Drop by Tumblr to say hi :)
