Another chapter because this story has no consistent uploading schedule. Also, I couldn't get this part out of my head.
Chris ended up living in a hotel across the city for four days as he tried to get onto Leon's case, but even his high status at the BSAA couldn't win the detective over. She was a hard working woman and Chris could respect that, but she also held an annoying arrogance about her that somehow made her believe she didn't need help in solving this. It was a stupid idea, in his opinion. Working a case this important alone? Leon and Chris both had more enemies than they could count and most they didn't even know existed.
Helena couldn't get on the case either because she wasn't a DSO agent. She worked in Secret Service and therefore had no real relation to the case besides being the one to get called in first. And since she'd already given her testimony of what she saw when she walked in -it wasn't much different from what Chris saw- then the president had decided she didn't need to be wasting any more time on this.
It made Chris angry. No, beyond just angry. He was absolutely fucking pissed that the president of all people wouldn't respect Leon's death. Of course, they send their condolences and arranged a big fancy funeral. They even offered to pay off Chris's retirement plan, whenever that ended up happening. It was nice but it didn't bring back his husband.
His husband who was now laying in a hospital bed, completely relying on the machines to keep his body going. There were no brain waves. Nothing to signal he was actually alive anymore besides the technology that moved his blood and filled his lungs. It was agonizing and a part of Chris knew it was only torturing him to keep Leon in a state like that, but he couldn't pull the plug. Chris liked to think himself a realist, but when it really mattered, he was really an optimist. Blindly so.
Chris was home now, once the scene had been cleaned up and when he arrived, he realized that he'd rather the blood still be there. Rather the tape remain in his living room so Chris didn't accidentally step where his husband was murdered. He didn't want his house to look the same as when Leon was here by his side. He wanted the difference to be permanent.
He couldn't handle looking at the living room, so Chris went to the bedroom instead. It was no less painful being in there, but at least he didn't feel like something was watching him. Leon's special foam pillow was still where he left it at the head of the bed, just on the left side. He always did complain about having neck and back problems. Getting thrown around for a living didn't really help that so much.
Leon's clothes were still in the closet when Chris put his jacket away. His dress shoes were in there too, shinny and ready to be worn. But what really got Chris was the array of ties. Leon was a professional and always dressed his part, but he could only keep it up for so long. Eventually, the man would end up flirting with someone or making jokes to lighten the situation. He'd collected a few ugly ties, sweaters and socks just to make the office more lively.
The beer tie was Leon's favorite. He'd wear it to work, out drinking or to their more fancy dates. It was more of an inside joke, since Leon absolutely hated the taste of beer. He'd make a fuss whenever Chris bought it, saying "It's taking up space in my fridge".
Chris sat on the edge of his bed as he stared at his own closet, feeling numb and tired. He wanted to sleep for the rest of his life, but he knew he won't get any sleep that night. Not without Leon. The bed would get too cold and he'd wake up to his alarm like he always did but without the annoyed groan, it won't be work it to set it again for the next day. Without the light smack at his shoulder from forcing the man awake with him so early, there would be no point in even waking up at all.
"Shit." Chris rubbed at his face again. He had to think about something else. "I should call Claire."
She and Sherry both found out not long after that night. Chris couldn't live with himself if he delayed telling the two most important people in Leon's life. They both visited him at the hospital but it soon became obvious to them as well that he wasn't really alive. Not with how much blood he lost before even Helena got there.
But just before they could leave, Claire caught his shoulder and made him promise to let her visit as soon as he got back home. He agreed because despite his urge to stay isolated, he wanted his little sister around too.
Slowly, Chris pulled out his phone and clicked his sister's contact. He waited for a long time, just staring at the green and grey message bubbles. He shifted and it took far too much energy for him to text a quick, "I'm back home. Come over tomorrow." No reply came, so he shut it off and let it fall onto the bed.
He didn't check his phone again that night. Instead, Chris spent the rest of his day cleaning what the team didn't. He threw out the take out Leon bought them -the flies buzzed around it and he spent another hour trying to kill them all. He took extra care to not step anywhere close to the spot Leon was. It was like walking over a grave and some part of it made him feel stupid for his paranoia, but he couldn't help it.
Once the house was clean, Chris goes straight to bed. He curled up under the covers and forced his mind to shut down because there was a phantom feeling of someone beside him and his heart tried to pull at him, but he ignored it. No one was there. No one would be there ever again. Leon wasn't getting out of that hospital room alive. He wasn't coming home.
At some point in the middle of the night, Chris woke up again and he saw a figure next to him, laying on top of the sheets. It took another second to realize it was Leon and the man was just staring at the ceiling with a bored frown on his face. Chris hated how it pulled at his heart, hated even more that his head was making him see things, so he turned over and went back to bed. If he weren't so afraid of the living room, then maybe he would take the covers to the couch and sleep there, but he had a feeling that the demons would be stronger in there.
The phantom feeling never left.
"Thanks for coming." Chris whispered against Claire's neck as he held his sister tight. She held him back and it felt like they were kids again. After so long, it always came back to them two, didn't it. First, their parents died and Chris had to take care of them both. Then, Umbrella pulled them away over and over again until they could finally reunite. They mourned Piers Nivans and Chris had to go back into the field over and over because he lost the one person he trusted to take his place. And now, they were mourning Leon together. It never really stopped hurting, losing someone.
"Hey, let me make us something to eat, okay? I know you're probably hungry and even if you don't want to eat, you still have to."
She pushed her way inside and he shut the door behind her. Something about the simple motion made him feel wrong, like he should've left it open, but he ignored it. Just like everything else.
Claire went into the kitchen and he couldn't watch her use it because he was afraid he'd see Leon again. So instead, he sat in an armchair in the Livingroom. It still felt off, but everything felt off now. From the weird feelings of wrongness to the occasional chill. He blamed it on spending so long in a hotel where he didn't have to be reminded of the truth. Where he didn't walk past pictures of him and Leon just by going through the hall.
Claire set two plates down on the coffee table as she settled into the couch. He eyed her wearily for a few seconds but didn't say anything.
"What have you done so far?" Her tone was guarded, like she was setting aside her own grief to help him. He wanted to protest and remind her that he'd lost more teams than he could count and grief was nothing new to him, but he stayed quiet instead because this was her way of grieving too. She did the same thing when their parents died. She started helping people.
"Nothing, really. Cleaned a little then went to bed." He suddenly became conscious of everything he should've done instead. Chris needed a shower and probably a shave too. He hadn't eaten when he got home either and it was shameful knowing he had neglected himself so much already. Picking up his place, Chris moved the fried rice around for a moment before taking a small bite. It made him feel ill but he kept eating.
Claire nodded her head slowly. "I went home with Sherry yesterday and she was having it pretty rough too. I had to call Jake over to make sure she had someone for today." Chris suddenly felt bad but Claire continued before he could say anything. "I want to be here, Chris. I want to help you too, but I can't be two places at once. Jake knows how this works and he's probably going to do a better job at caring for Sherry than I can right now."
It made sense. After China, Jake went off the grid for a little while but he eventually came back for Sherry. Chris was hesitant about the two at first, but after Leon's confirmation that he trusted the kid, Chris started to ease up around him as well. Jake wasn't like his father, not in the ways that it mattered. The punk had a soft spot for Sherry and...Claire was right. He'd gone through grief like this before and he could do good staying by her side.
Claire paused before gently placing a hand on his arm, her eyes searching his for answers. What she wanted, he wasn't sure. "What are your plans right now."
He gave her a confused look. "What to you mean? I just got home."
But her eyes didn't leave him. "I know, but you're a goal driven person, Chris. And you can hold a hell of a grudge too. I just...need to know that you won't go on a man hunt for the people responsible."
"Not like they'll let me on the case." Chris pulled his arm away. "Something weird happened, I can feel it, but they won't let me take this. Why won't they?"
Claire leaned back, eyeing him wearily. "Because it doesn't involve Umbrella or BOWs."
"You don't know that." This could be another Derek Simmons or even an Aris Glenn. Someone else who had a personal vendetta against Leon and got away with hurting him. Because Chris stupidly left him alone.
Claire let out a long sigh. She knew him too much to argue. "What about his will. Does he have one?"
So they were changing topics. Fine. "I...yes. He has one." Leon left most things to him, unfortunately. "We'll read through it once we can, but I think already know what I'm going to do with what he'll give me."
"And what's that?" Claire scooted closer to him, though, the couch didn't allow her to get very far.
He couldn't look at her as he said it. "I'm selling the house." A cold chill ran through him and Claire's eyes went wide.
"What?! But you worked for years to get this house!"
The air stayed freezing around him but he meet Claire's stare. "I don't want to stay here, Claire. It's already starting to mess with me. I'm seeing things and feeling things that I wasn't at the hotel." He had to move offices after he thought he lost Jill. Being so close to her old work space was too much for him. But even that wasn't as bad as what he was feeling now.
Claire's anger simmered. "What kind of stuff?"
He leaned back, trying to recall it all without sounding insane. "Well...I just feel wrong sometimes. Like, what I'm doing it wrong." And that sounded too normal. "Last night, I thought I saw...I thought I saw Leon. Laying next to me. He wasn't even under the covers. He was just staring at the ceiling like a..." Like a ghost. "It felt so real but I know it's all in my head. And this room makes me paranoid. I feel like I'm being watched."
Claire immediately looked suspicious. "Do you think you're being followed?"
He shook his head, unsure. "I...I don't know. Maybe. Shit, Claire. I'm just so tired." He buried his head into his hands and just stayed there for a moment, feeling sick again. He needed to eat more. Needed a shower. Needed so many things that Leon could easily fix, but he was gone.
"Chris, I think I'm going to stay the night, okay? Just to make sure you're safe. I've already lost Leon and I don't want to lose you too." And he couldn't fault her for that, so he nodded.
"Yeah. Okay." He felt arms wrap around him, like a warm embrace. His heart fluttered and he knew this was the right decision. Letting Claire watch over him. "Okay."
She stood up and pulled him into a hug, just as tight as the one they shared when she arrived. Her hand played with the longer bits of his hair and he just squeezed her because he was too much of a mess to hold back. Claire shushed him softly, her own voice wavering as she spoke. "It's going to be okay, Chris. You'll be okay. You have people here you love you, who want to help. We'll make sure you're okay."
For a moment, Chris almost heard Leon's voice in her, but it faded quickly. He really needed some more sleep and maybe he would still sell the house. Maybe he'd end up moving far away, out to Romania with the Winters, but until then, he'd stay here and get better.
I've decided that the main story is past tense but Leon's parts will be present tense, just to spice it up with the formatting. Also, I apricate the love you guys give this. I never thought it would be very interesting to others, but I'm glad you guys even like it.