Leon woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. Without even bothering to open his eyes, he reached around with his hand blindly until he felt the coolness of the device touch his fingertips. Grabbing at it, he peeked open one eye to press the button to answer before closing it again. "Hello?" He grumbled into the receiver.
"Leon," a familiar voice spoke.
"What is it, Hunnigan?" He questioned, voice gravelly, recognizing the woman's voice immediately even in his still half asleep state.
"I've been told to tell you to come in. You've been assigned a new mission."
Leon paused for a moment, his brain needing a moment to process what she was saying. Unwillingly, he cracked open his eyes to glance at the digital clock on his nightstand. "It's three in the morning. Why now?"
"They didn't give me that information. They only told me to make sure you come in." Hunnigan sounded just as tired as he was. Either she was working overtime, or she was woken up just as he was.
Leon could only sigh, forcing himself to sit up in bed. "Do I have time to take a shower?"
"They want you there in thirty minutes. So if you want to take a quick one..."
It took Leon at least twenty minutes to get to work from when he stepped foot out the door. If he included the time to eat and get dressed… "Yeah, no shower." He concluded. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
As soon as Leon arrived to work, he'd been redirected to at least seven different places- several different offices and a couple of meeting rooms. Apparently, no one else seemed to know what was going on either.
Eventually, he got a text from Hunnigan with where he was really supposed to go. He arrived at a helipad, where he saw Chris Redfield standing and seemingly waiting as he leaned against the side of the helicopter that sat there.
"What are you doing here?" Leon questioned as he walked up, to which he received a simple shrug from Chris.
"This is some bullshit," Leon griped as he climbed into the aircraft.
"You're telling me. I just got back from another assignment and haven't even been able to see Claire yet." Chris hopped into the chopper and took a seat beside him.
As soon as they got comfortable, a man walked up, tossing a couple of duffle bags towards the two men. "Those are for you," he said simply as he closed the side doors and hopped into the pilot's seat.
Furrowing their brows, both Chris and Leon opened up the bags, finding a few guns, knives, ammo, and a file for each of them. They opened it and scanned through the words on the pages, finally finding out what they were both here for: reconnaissance of an old abandoned building suspected to house an unknown virus. Find it, take a sample, destroy the rest.
"What the hell?" Leon frowned. "That's it? Why do they want both of us? Only one of us would be needed."
They heard the pilot starting the helicopter up and began to ascend off the ground.
"I don't know." Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, dropping his files on top of his duffle bag. "And I'm too tired to think about it right now."
Chris leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest and closing his eyes. Leon opted to study the file more, though there wasn't actually much on it except for a rough outline of the building and no real details about anything else.
He sighed when his eyes began to droop down, finally deciding to take Chris's lead and take a nap.
Leon finally jostled awake when the helicopter landed on the ground. He blinked, looking outside to see that the sky was pitch black. It had been that way when they left. "What-"
"Time is it?" Chris finished his sentence for him. It's seven at night." He held up his wristwatch for Leon to see.
Seven? He'd slept the whole day away? "That explains my sore back and neck."
"Alright gentlemen, this is your stop." The pilot said, getting out of his seat and opening up the doors for them. "Contact me when you're ready to get picked up again. Everything you need should be in your bags."
Chris and Leon hopped out, putting on their provided gun holsters and slipping said guns into them as well as over their shoulder. Chris slid his knife into his boot and Leon hooked his onto his belt. Radios were provided in case they split up or got lost, which they both clipped onto their person. They also were given a couple of USB flash drives, just in case they came into contact with any technology with pertinent information they needed to bring back.
"We're off," Chris told the pilot. Leon was already walking ahead, Chris having to jog a few steps to catch up.
The building could be seen in the distance, slightly illuminated by the moon, past a few trees. Wolves could be heard howling in the night, a tad bit closer than either of them were comfortable with. They held their guns close, just in case something were to pop out and run at them.
Nothing did, and they reached the moss covered building. It definitely looked like no one had come into contact with it in a long time. Weeds grew wildly all over the grass, untouched until the two men stepped over them to get to the front door. Chris pushed it open. "After you," he motioned for Leon to go first.
Leon rolled his eyes, taking him up on the offer and stepping into the building first. He turned on his flashlight, scanning the large room. Wood was strewn about every which way and large pieces of the ceiling accompanied them. "Let's hope the roof stays as is for the duration of our time here." He spoke up as Chris followed him inside.
"Yeah, that would be bad." He looked up, squinting to see the cracks in the roof that still threatened to fall.
Leon stopped to look at Chris for a solid few seconds for the dumb commentary. No shit it would be bad. Shaking his head, he continued forward, Chris following his lead to scout out the rest of the entryway. It was clear.
"Should we split up? This mission seems pretty simple and straightforward." Leon offered. The more ground they covered, the quicker they'd be able to be done with this mission and the sooner they'd be able to get home.
Chris seemed uneasy about the suggestion, but he didn't voice his concerns. "Sure," he agreed after a moment. Truth be told, he wanted to get back home as soon as Leon did. "You be careful." Chris placed a firm hand on Leon's shoulder, the seriousness in his tone of voice showing just how concerned he was about the other.
Leon scoffed. "I can take care of myself." Though after giving it some thought, they both were sent to this place together and the information they had was spotty at best. There could be more going on than was led on. "You take care of yourself too, big guy." Leon tapped Chris's arm, showing he understood.
And with that, they split up, Leon going towards the east corridor and Chris to the west.
A few zombies here and there were wandering the halls and around some of the rooms, nothing that Leon wasn't able to take down with a single bullet through the eyes. He searched through every paper, file, and book he came across. Nothing. He glided a hand along the walls for any secret entrances and again, nothing. Leon pressed and held a button on his radio. "How are things going on your end?"
"A few zombies but I haven't found anything yet," Chris admitted over the radio. "I've pretty much checked this whole bottom floor."
"Same here. I haven't found Jack all that pertains to the mission." He sighed, picking up a rusty looking key. He pocketed it, feeling as if he might come across some locked doors soon that he might be able to use it on.
"I'm about to go check upstairs to see what I can find." A couple shots rang out through the receiver. "There's a lot less zombies here than I thought there would be," Chris mused.
"I thought the same thing, but I'm not counting out a chance of a whole gang of them being behind any one of these doors." Leon walked out of the room he was in, making his way down the hall again. "You still need to be careful," he reminded.
"Aww, is the big shot special agent worried about me?" Leon could hear Chris's smirk in his tone of voice.
"Of course I am," Leon said matter-of-fact. When he didn't get an immediate response from Chris, he added, "Claire would kill me if I let anything happen to her hot older brother."
"Oh, so I'm hot now?" Chris questioned, tone of voice sounding almost playful.
"I mean…" Leon trailed off. Did this count as flirting? Were they flirting with each other? No, don't think too much into it Leon. "I'm only speaking the tru-"
Leon got cut off mid-sentence, the floor under him cracking suddenly and he found himself falling through a newly formed hole, a gasp of surprise leaving him.
He crashed down onto the ground below, pain shooting up throughout his whole body and he groaned. Leon's vision was blurry. He'd fallen pretty hard.
"Leon? Leon! Are you okay?!" He heard Chris's panicked voice over the radio. He wanted to respond back, tell him that he was in need of assistance, but his arms refused to move. Leon heard footsteps approaching him, and that was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.
Chris was looking at his radio in stunned silence. One second, he and Leon were talking just fine. The next, he heard a loud crash and nothing else from his mission partner.
Panic overtaking him, Chris forced his legs to move, constantly yelling over the radio, hoping Leon could hear him. "Leon, I'm coming for you!" He ran down the multitude of halls, glad he rid them of zombies when he could that would have ended up slowing him down. Neither of them had gone into the upstairs portion yet, so Leon had to be somewhere in the lower east wing still.
It didn't take him long to find a literal hole in the ground. Thinking nothing of it momentarily, Chris began to walk into one of the closed off rooms. "Leon?" He called into the radio, to which he stopped in the doorway. He turned his head, looking at the hole. "Leon…?" He spoke into the radio again, this time more hesitantly. His voice echoed from the hole and he cautiously made his way to it, shining his flashlight down it and seeing nothing but pitch blackness.
"Fuck," Chris mumbled to himself. He rummaged through his pockets on the vest he liked to wear and pulled out some Paracord. It wasn't provided for their mission, but he liked to keep some in his little vest of wonders for just in case purposes. And now that he was in a situation where it was almost necessary, he was glad he did.
Chris opened up one of the room doors, seeing a metal bed frame with a discarded mattress off to the side and figured it was as good as anything. He dragged it over to the open door, neither horizontally nor vertically, the thing not being able to get through the door frame, which was exactly what Chris wanted. He double tied the Paracord around the frame, tugging on it after to see if it would hold steady. When he was seemingly satisfied, he used it to descend down into the hole.
When Chris finally reached the bottom, he looked up at the barely moonlit hole entrance. This thing was a lot deeper than he gave it credit for. Clicking on his flashlight, Chris scanned around the floor. His light shone on something black, Chris bending over to pick it up. It was Leon's radio. Shining the light around the area he found it, he saw blood- fresh.
Dread washed over Chris instantaneously. "Leon?!" He called out. No answer. He shined his light down at the rubble and blood again, noticing now upon closer inspection that there was a trail of smeared blood, almost like something dragged the agent off.
Chris took off into a sprint, following the blood trail on the ground until he got to a closed off door. He twisted the knob, only to find that it was locked. Frowning, Chris began ramming his whole body against the door, which proved effective when the door fell through after three tries.
Looking around the room with his flashlight quickly, Chris spotted Leon in the middle of the room. He ran over, relief flooding his veins now that the man was in his sights. However, it was short lived when he stood in front of him.
Leon was strapped down to a heavy metal chair, hunched over forward, blood dripping from his forehead. An empty vial that still held a single drop of blue liquid was on the floor beside him next to a syringe. On the side of Leon's exposed neck was a bluish looking rash.
"Leon," Chris called out, shaking the man slightly. No response. He shook him harder and still got no reaction. "Leon, wake up." Chris placed his hands on the agent's cheeks, lifting his head to see his face. His lips were chapped and tinged blue and his breaths came out slower than Chris would have liked.
Clearly, someone had injected Leon with something. What that something was, Chris didn't know. He could only hope that it wasn't with the virus they were currently searching for, but something in his gut told him that it was.
"Alright, come on," Chris muttered, using his knife to cut the straps from around Leon's wrists and ankles. He put the knife back in its sheath and clasped his flashlight on his shoulder, hooked onto his vest. He slid an arm under Leon's legs and the other around his back, carrying him bridal style. He noted that Leon's guns were missing, but he decided not to worry too much about it. If he woke up, Chris would offer him one of his own.
Chris briskly walked out of the room, making his way back to the hole he'd climbed down. He planned to get Leon out of there now, get him help and come back on his own to finish the mission, but that plan was shot down as soon as he noticed that the Paracord he'd used was missing. Shit. Seems he'd have to find an alternative route.
Chris looked around, not sure of which way he should go, then almost jumped out of his skin when some dim lights turned on in the halls. They gave off an eerie glow against the- what Chris assumed to be- white walls. At least finally, he could see a little easier. Taking in his surroundings and peeking through a few windows leading into other rooms, they were on a floor that seemed to be a secret underground lab, that is if the beakers and test tubes he saw in one of the rooms meant anything.
When he took a step forward, he stopped again. He could hear faint growling echoing through the halls. It got closer, louder. Soon enough he heard something running. They were not sticking around for that.
Chris turned in the opposite direction of the sounds and ran as fast as he could as he carried Leon. He didn't know where he was going, just went. He turned corners sharply, trying to avoid running into anything that would make noise to alert the monster after them.
They soon reached a dead end, Chris kicking at the closed double doors off to the side for any way of getting to safety. As soon as they swung open, Chris ushered inside and kicked the doors closed behind him. He leaned against them to try and keep whatever was out in the hall out of the room.
His efforts proved fruitless, however. The monster pounded on the doors hard enough to push Chris forward and away from them, dropping Leon onto the ground when he fell to his knees.
The monster stepped in, letting out a grotesque scream. It was almost as wide as the double doors it came through, rotting flesh dripping with a slimy substance. Large, sharp fangs adorned its wide, gaping mouth and it's forked, bumpy tongue hung out over its chin.
Chris quickly rose to his feet, holding up his gun and took a few shots at the monster. His first priority was to keep Leon safe. He had to keep this thing away from him. "Hey, over here!" He called, trying to distract it. Chris ran off further into the room, trying to keep his distance from Leon. Luckily it was a rather large room, but the toppled over tables and appliances made maneuvering rather difficult.
The monster had its attention on Chris, an ear-piercing scream erupting from its throat. It took large steps in his direction, the floor slightly shaking under the weight. The bullets that hit it seemed to either bounce off or get stuck within the skin, not phasing it. All of Chris's shooting was simply pissing it off.
"Dammit!" Chris jumped out of the way, barely dodging a whip from it's long tongue. How the hell was he going to bring this thing down if bullets didn't work?
Chris suddenly had a thought. He pulled a grenade out of one of his pockets and looked from it, to the monster pushing past tables to get to him. If all else fails, right? But then his gaze moved over to Leon who still laid on the floor where he'd dropped him. He could potentially get caught up in the explosion and get hurt.
Chris hesitated. He pulled out his magnum, taking a shot at the monster again. The bullet went straight through its tongue, causing it to scream and lash out with it. It nicked Chris in the arm, making him grunt in pain and run off to get some more distance between them.
Chris unloaded the rest of his clip into the monster, a few shots missing and others hitting. He reloaded as he ran off again to create more distance that the monster had already closed. "Just die already!" Chris yelled in frustration. As soon as the monster opened its mouth to yell in his direction, Chris popped the pin out of the grenade and chucked it into its mouth, making sure that they were as far away from Leon as possible. Chris ducked for cover behind one of the fallen tables, waiting for the explosion to blow the monster to pieces.
But it never came.
The table Chris hid behind was lifted away, exposing him to the monster. "Oh, you're kidding me." The monster was unscathed. It was almost as if Chris had just tossed a piece of candy towards it for a snack. Its tongue lashed out at Chris fast, effectively slicing his arm with a deep gash. Chris cried out in pain, running away from the monster as fast as he could possibly go. Unfortunately, it ran him right into a corner.
But as soon as it ventured close enough to Chris to take a bite out of him, it stopped. Then its head suddenly turned in Leon's direction.
Leon was on his hands and knees, looking as if he was struggling to get up. His breathing was coming out in whistling wheezes, which was loud enough to the monster's sensitive hearing. The monster sized Leon up, seemingly deciding that he would be the easiest snack in the world to consume. It bolted off towards the man, its large mouth swallowing Leon whole.
"Leon!" Chris yelled, surprise and panic mixed onto his face until anger began seeping in. "Eat this, you bastard!" And he began unloading magazine after magazine of his gun into the monster. However, the monster didn't move. It gave no reaction to the bullets or Chris at all. It sat there, unmoving.
Moments later, a blood curdling scream exploded from the monster as it fell onto its side and green blood oozed out of its mouth. Chris stood there, shell-shocked. What the hell just happened?
Chris jumped back and aimed his gun at the monster again when he saw something within it moving. A hand tore through the monster's stomach, prying it open. Leon climbed out, covered head to toe in green blood and slime.
"Leon!" Chris ran over to him, assisting him in fully getting away from the now-dead monster. "What did you do? How did you-" Chris stopped talking as soon as Leon looked up at him.
Dull, hazy blue eyes stared at Chris intensely. They looked… a lot like the eyes of the dead that they encounter, although not quite. Although Leon's eyes looked devoid of life, the way they flicked and observed Chris and their surroundings showed that he was still aware. He still had normal brain functions.
"... Heart." Was all Leon said. Upon seeing Chris's confused expression, Leon took hold of the taller male's hand and pressed something into it. When Chris looked at it, he saw the heart of the monster in the palm of his hand. Oh. That's how he killed it. That makes a little more sense. Chris dropped the heart onto the ground with a disgusted look on his face, wiping his hands on his pants.
Leon partially limped over to the monster, reaching down and yanking at one of its large fangs. With surprising strength, the tooth snapped off seemingly effortlessly. Then Leon shuffled his way out of the room and to a locked door on the other side of where they stood. He used the tooth to smash into the lock, breaking it open and looked over at Chris expectantly.
"You want me to… Go there?" Leon only nodded. "Alright." And he did. He walked through the doors that Leon opened for him, venturing inside with Leon shuffling close behind him.
It was a large computer room. Video camera footage showing different parts of the building was displayed on plenty of the monitors while only one seemed to have been recently used for something else. On the screen was a prompt to enter a password.
"How the hell are we going to find this one?" Chris mused more to himself than asking Leon. Papers were strewn all over the place. They were stacked on the desks and even on the floors.
Leon said nothing, only grabbing a white lab coat nearby and wiping himself down to get the mess of the previous monster off of his person, then grabbed another clean lab coat, ripping off the arm sleeve and shuffled to Chris, wrapping it around Chris's gash in his arm. Immediately after, he got to work on sifting through paperwork.
It didn't take long until Leon found a sticky note with what he assumed might be the password and stuck it onto Chris's forehead before Chris even had a chance to begin looking through papers.
Chris couldn't help but chuckle at the action. "Thanks, partner." He briefly saw the corners of Leon's mouth turn up into a small smirk. He grabbed the note off of his forehead and typed it in.
It worked.
Chris typed away furiously on the keyboard, using the mouse to maneuver his way through digitized files for anything useful. He opened up numerous files, scanning throughout the pages.
Chris learned quite a few things. This virus was purely experimental and the intention was to- essentially- turn the enemy into undead slaves. Inject the virus into their system and they'd be dead and at your feet within five hours. A word of warning was that- good news- there's a vaccine, however once those five hours are up, there's no bringing someone back.
During the process of turning, the subject will inhibit speech complications. There were cases ranging from small, broken sentences to jumbled nonsense. The subject would also gain an increase in strength. On file, a test subject was able to lift a semi truck.
A notice was typed in red, a warning to keep test subjects away from those they held deep feelings for. Examples being family and spouses. It had been proven that the control over them would be overridden in favor of said family member or spouse, the subjects only opting to listen to their loved one instead of who held the remote control.
Chris looked at Leon, he looked tired. Aside from the bluish tinge of his lips and glassy look, he had dark circles under his eyes. His skin was becoming pale, almost to a greyish tone. Reaching out to touch his cheek, he could feel that his skin was becoming ice cold. That definitely wasn't good by any standards. "We'll find that vaccine for you." Chris said, determined. Leon stared at him for a few seconds before nodding slowly.
Chris looked back to the computer, plugging in one of the USB drives they were given and began downloading all of the information found. He then typed a few keys and pulled up a map of the underground area, looking to see where the vaccine might possibly be kept. Luckily, they put a side note on where they kept some in storage. Unluckily, this place was like a damn maze.
After everything was done copying, Chris made sure to delete all of the files he took and pocketed the USB. Then he turned to Leon once more, taking him by the hand and walking off.
Leon was slow, staggering to keep up with Chris as he hustled down the halls. The virus he was clearly injected with was taking its toll on him and he wasn't sure how much longer the man had. "Come on," Chris mumbled. He stopped, picking Leon up into a bridal carry once again and began to jog down the halls. They didn't have time to dilly dally with making sure Leon was comfortable with his pace. The easiest solution was to just carry him.
It was no secret that Chris harbored feelings for Leon. Well, no secret to anyone but Leon himself. The amount of times Chris had flirted with him only for Leon to look confused and answer as he normally did… At this point, Chris didn't know where he stood with the other male. Was he considered an acquaintance? A friend? Close friend perhaps? He never bothered to ask. Claire was his best friend. Things would become awkward within the family if he asked the wrong question and got a negative response.
So instead, he'd show his affections the best way that he could- by taking care of him. As he jogged down the halls, he glanced within the rooms and at the signs by the doors. He'd probably gone around in circles at least twice. Frustration began to sleep in. Leon was running out of time. He had to find that vaccine. He had to.
Then Leon rested his head against Chris's shoulder.
Chris looked down at the man, Leon having his eyes looking straight ahead and calculating where they'd already been. He then pointed in a direction and Chris went there without question. He was more of a strategic type of person than Chris was, so maybe he knew where they still needed to check.
Soon enough, they came across a cryo storage area- exactly where they needed to go. This was… too easy. They hadn't seen not one soul on the way here- living or dead.
Chris set Leon down gently. They stepped into the cold room, blue lighting giving off an eerie luminescent glow. Chris quickly walked forward, scanning the room. "No…" he spoke barely above a whisper. He ran over to the open refrigerators and knelt down to the ground. Vials were on the ground, broken with it's pink contents spilled all over. Chris got up, looking around the room frantically. No, there had to be more. At least one more!
A feminine giggle echoed throughout the room. "Looking for this?"
Chris turned his attention towards the doorway. A blonde haired woman stood there, dangling a single vial between her fingertips. Her provocative looking black dress didn't give any indication that she was a scientist, but the white lab coat she wore over it sure did. "Give that to me." He spoke coldly. He didn't have time for this shit.
"Oh, or what?" The woman grinned menacingly. She placed one hand on her hip and used the other hand to slide the vial between her breasts. "It doesn't look like you're in a position to be making demands." She pulled out what looked like a remote control and clicked a button.
Immediately, Leon leaned against the wall for support. His breathing became erratic and he clutched at his chest. He sounded like he was choking.
And then he began to cough. Hard. It was one of those coughs that vibrated throughout your whole body, making your muscles tighten up and when you think you'd be given a small break to breathe, it'd come back around full circle.
"Leon!" Chris called to him, moving to his side as fast as he could. He placed a hand on his back, rubbing it as soothingly as he could. Worry seeped through him, especially when Leon let out a particularly loud cough that had blood splattering onto the floor. "What did you do?!" Chris glared at the woman. She looked as if she were enjoying a show.
"The virus I gave him was another experimental one. It works faster than the previous versions we have on file and even if they're not fully turned, we can still control them. It's much more potent." She grinned wide, as if proud. "We needed to alter it a little. Have to get the kinks out when you can." She pressed another button, Leon's coughs stopping instantaneously.
Chris turned his attention back to Leon, glad that his coughing stopped. But then he froze as soon as Leon's head turned toward him to look at him. His pretty blue eyes were visibly tinged with red around the iris. Blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth and there was a fierce look in his eyes that made him look deranged.
"Kill him." The woman commanded and Leon jumped. He knocked Chris to the ground and held him down with a strength unparalleled. His hands wrapped around Chris's neck, tightening his grip slowly.
Chris gasped slightly, trying to pry Leon's hands off of him to no avail. He pulled out his magnum and held it up to Leon's chest. However, he couldn't bring himself to fire. His face turned red from the lack of oxygen and began to turn blue. This was it? This is how he died? By the hands of the man he loved?
But then one of Leon's hands snaked away from Chris's neck, trembling as if he were fighting against himself. He grabbed hold of Chris's gun, slowly pushing it downwards so it was aimed at his own thigh. Then, he used his thumb to press against Chris's finger that rested on the trigger, a loud bang echoing through the room.
Leon cried out in pain, pulling his hands away from Chris, to which Chris took in a sharp intake of breath, coughing loudly. He was light headed and his vision was blurry. He was sure he was a goner. So why…? He turned his attention to Leon.
Leon was taking deep breaths, clutching his leg that oozed with blood. He forced himself to stand and looked up towards the woman, who looked shocked. "Impossible!" She screeched, pulling out a small pistol from a holster on her thigh. She shot wildly as Leon slowly stepped towards her, Leon grunting with every shot that hit him but never stopping his advancement. She was a terrible shot, not once hitting his head or his heart, and soon she was out of bullets and defenseless. She tried to run out of the room, but Leon was within reach and grabbed her, simply twisting and snapping her neck with ease.
Leon dropped her lifeless body to the ground, simply staring at it blankly. Chris slowly got up from the ground, approaching the other wish caution. He didn't know what just happened, but he supposed it worked well in his favor. Chris stepped past Leon and knelt down to the woman, plucking the vial from where she kept it safely in her cleavage. "Let's give this to you now, okay?" Chris spoke slowly. Leon didn't so much as blink. He stood there, statuesque.
That didn't bode well with Chris. He rushed back into the room, finding an empty syringe and transferred the pink concoction into it and quickly made his way back to Leon. He took hold of his hand, lifting it and finding a vein easily- the virus made them stand out against his pale skin- and injected the serum into his bloodstream.
Moments later, Leon's body went limp, Chris having to catch him before he hit the ground. Chris took the time to put out a distress call to the chopper they were supposed to take to leave. "Don't worry, I'll get you home." He spoke mostly to himself, sitting on the ground with Leon in his arms.
Leon awoke to the sound of a monitor beeping. He opened his eyes blearily and groaned. His whole body felt sore, like he just got his ass whooped in a boxing match. He looked down at himself, seeing himself wrapped up in bandages.
"You're awake," a voice to his left spoke up, relief clear in his tone.
Leon looked to his side, seeing Chris sitting in a chair beside his bed. "Chris…?" He questioned. "Where-"
"You're in the hospital. You're safe now."
Leon nodded slightly. "The mission…?" God, his throat hurt.
"Completed," Chris assured him. "Was able to finish it while you were out."
Leon nodded again, his vision becoming more clear. His eyes trailed down to Chris's neck, seeing a dark purple hand shaped bruise there. Suddenly, his memories started coming back to him. "I-"
"Don't say you're sorry." Chris warned, noticing Leon's gaze. "It wasn't your fault."
Sure, it wasn't. But that didn't make Leon feel any better about it.
"So…" Chris started after they sat in awkward silence for a minute. "How'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Stop yourself. From, you know…" Chris trailed off and gestured to his neck. Killing me, Leon finished the sentence in his head.
"I uh," Leon started. "I don't know." He lied. Truth be told, he had suspicions. If the information they downloaded into that USB meant anything, he could take a wild guess.
Leon held feelings for Chris. Strong ones at that. He always contemplated telling the man, but he was never sure. It could ruin what they had already if it turned out Chris didn't like him that way. Chris was indeed kind of a flirt, but he figured that's just the way he was. It probably didn't mean anything, right?
Chris stared at Leon intensely. He reached out, taking hold of Leon's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I almost lost you…" he whispered, concern laced in his words. He almost looked like he wanted to cry. Almost.
"But you didn't." Leon tried to diffuse the situation with a small smile. He squeezed Chris's hand back.
"Leon…" Chris looked at him, his lips in a thin line. He seemed to be contemplating something. "Leon, I…"
Leon raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What?"
"I like you." Chris confessed. "No, like is too soft of a word. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."
Leon's heart skipped a beat and he could feel his cheeks heating up. His eyes widened. "You what…?" He was, to put it simply, dumbfounded. The heart monitor in the background gave way to his now racing heart.
"I'm in love with you." Chris repeated, his eyes serious but his tone soft. "You probably don't feel the same way but I was so scared of losing you today that I just can't stay quiet about it anymore."
Leon blinked a few times, snorted, then a small laugh escaped him.
Now Chris was the one to look dumbfounded. "Leon?"
"No, no, I'm not laughing at you," Leon assured him, a couple more chuckles creeping out. Seriously? Chris felt the same way? So they were both worried about the same thing. And for what? Nothing! They probably could have hooked up ages ago if that were the case. "I may or may not be in love with you, too." He said finally.
Chris's gaze softened. He brought Leon's hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss to the back of it. "Thank God…"
"Hey," Leon tugged on Chris's hand a little. "C'mere." Chris listened and leaned in closer. Leon pressed a caste kiss to his lips, earning a stupid grin to spread on Chris's face. "You can tell Claire about this."
Chris laughed loud. "I'd be happy to."