Notes;- Unsurprisingly, I still don't own Resident Evil. Thanks as always to Coxcomb for being the inspiration and Zet Sway for being the reviewer who is drenched in awesome sauce! : )

The Facility – Chapter Three

It was midday before Chris awoke. His limbs were shaking and his head was pounding. His mouth was dry and his eyes were bleary. His whole body ached and he was beginning to feel where he'd gained bruises from diving out of the way of the grenade. He tried his best to sit up, wincing in pain as the movement proved too much for his headache. He closed his eyes and let out a moan. He'd always known he couldn't hold his own against spirits. He didn't really remember getting to bed but he did remember puking a good few times before he did so. He rolled over gently and spotted a glass of water on his bedside table. He knew that he wouldn't have had the sense to put it there.

"Leon…" He said quietly, suddenly remembering his partner's story from last night. His revelation had made the younger man seem more human and less like the iceman persona that he liked to project. Chris wondered if Leon would mention it when he went downstairs or whether he would simply pretend that it hadn't happened. Chris had a feeling that it was going to be the latter. He would've liked to have found out more but he knew that there was no chance Leon would let his guard drop again. It was highly likely that he'd be hungover too and in a foul mood.

Chris took his time showering and getting dressed. He hadn't bothered to shave since he'd arrived in Spain and had grown some quite impressive stubble. He ran his hand over his chin whilst checking himself out in the bathroom mirror. He decided that he quite liked the stubbled look. He wandered down to the kitchen and started to root around in the fridge. What he really needed to clear out his hangover was a good fatty fried breakfast but he didn't expect Leon to have that sort of stuff in his fridge.

Leon himself was already awake and sitting at the pine kitchen table. There was a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and he was scribbling away at his report. There was a rack of toast in the middle of the table with a pot of what looked like strawberry jam beside it. Chris wondered if he was to just help himself. He closed the fridge door and sat down opposite his partner. There was a glass of water at his place with a box of painkillers beside it.

"I thought you might be needing those" Leon said, nodding at the box. "You're free to do whatever you want today. I'll be going to the office to debrief Dennis on what happened at the cave"

Chris nodded and couldn't help notice that his partner looked particularly stressed. He wondered if it had anything to do with the previous night or whether he was in a lot of pain from his injury.

"You should maybe stop at the hospital and get that wound checked out," Chris suggested. Forgetting all about his manners and listening solely to his stomach, he grabbed a slice of toast and liberally smeared it with the jam.

"Not necessary" Leon replied. His tone was back to its usual constant mild irritation. "I've already completed the paperwork regarding yesterday's incident in the cave" He slid the papers across the table and took a sip from his coffee cup. Whilst Chris looked over his writing, Leon leant over his file folder and studied his notes. His floppy hair fell in front of his eyes. His hunched shoulders and hidden face gave him a distinct look of being fed up. It reminded Chris of the way he'd looked last night when talking about that Sherry girl. Without thinking, Chris slid his hand across the table and placed it over Leon's. Leon reacted as if Chris' hand were boiling hot. He withdrew his own hand quickly, slapping Chris' away. He stood up quickly and gathered up the papers.

"Don't you ever try to touch me again Redfield" He spat as he slammed out of the house. Chris leant back in his chair and sighed deeply.

"Well this is certainly something we weren't prepared for" Dennis mused as his eyes skimmed over the report. Leon was leaning against the water cooler barely listening. His mind was playing over the events of the previous night. He'd never recounted the story of his time in Raccoon City to anyone before and he couldn't for the life of him understand why this Chris Redfield was any different. He'd struggled with it all night and the only conclusion that he could come to was that his tongue had been loosened by the whiskey.

"Did you manage to collect any samples of the thing that attacked you in the cave"? Dennis asked.

"No" Leon replied, not meeting his eyes. "I was…injured," He admitted. "If we're going to fully explore and secure that facility we're going to need better equipment"

"I'd like to give you it Leon, I really would" Dennis said, closing the file folder and placing it back on his desk. "But my higher-ups think they've sunk enough money into this mission already. As far as they're concerned they've hired two of the best in business and they should've seen results by now" Leon opened his mouth to protest but Dennis held up a hand. "If it were me I'd be giving you everything you need but it's not up to me. I'm simply the messenger. I know it's frustrating and I know you don't get along with your partner but you're just going to have to deal with it. I'm being put under a lot of pressure here, and you should be grateful I'm not putting it on you"

"I know Dennis" Leon replied with a heavy sigh. "And I'm grateful for that. You've done a lot for me since I arrived here"

"More than you care to remember I'm sure" Dennis said, raising his eyebrow suggestively. Leon shook his head but allowed himself a brief smile. He'd only been in Spain a week when Dennis had insisted on showing him some of the Spanish nightlife. They'd gotten completely drunk and before Leon knew it, he was back and Dennis' place and indulging in a little bit of 'overtime'. That had been months ago but they often talked about it. They'd agreed that it had just been a one off occasion and neither man had felt the need to turn it in to some sort of relationship, casual or otherwise. That night had served to confirm for Leon what he'd been thinking for a long time, that he was gay. Dennis had since settled down with a Spanish girl that he'd met at some restaurant so Leon figured he was either bisexual or had made a mistake that night.

"Could you at least get hold of some armour piercing bullets"? Leon asked. "The regular ones just bounced off that thing"

"I'll see what I can do," Dennis answered. "But for now why don't you go home and get some rest" He typed something into his computer. "I would suggest you go to the hospital to have your injury checked but should I perhaps not waste my breath"?

"Got it in one"

Chris checked the oven for what seemed like the tenth time. Leon was obviously fuming about last night's events and Chris decided that the best way to make it up to his partner was too prepare his secret weapon. His homemade chocolate chip cookies always used to work on Jill whenever she was in a mood so he hoped that he'd have similar success with Leon. There was only one minor problem with his plan. Usually, when he required the cookies, he would invite Claire over and she would do a large portion of the actual cooking. He'd watched her enough times however and he figured he'd got the recipe right. It had looked right anyway when he'd dumped spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking tray.

"What on earth are you doing"? An angry voice demanded followed closely by the sound of the front door slamming. Leon stormed into the kitchen area and threw a little white paper bag onto the kitchen table.

"Oh…um…just making a little something" Chris replied casually as Leon grabbed the juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass. He drained half of it before sitting at the table and ripping open the white bag.

"Just burning a little something more like," He said, pulling a box of painkillers out of the bag.

"Shit"! Chris exclaimed. "I just looked at them"! He wrenched the oven door open and sure enough, a burning smell filled the kitchen. Chris pulled the baking tray out of the oven and examined his cookies, which now resembled brown-black lumps. "Shit" he repeated. He waited for some kind of snarky comment from Leon but was surprised to find his partner smiling.

"You tried to make cookies"? He said with a hint of amusement. He popped a couple of tablets out of their foil container and swallowed them with a mouthful of juice.

"I was trying to make it up to you" Chris replied pathetically, poking at the burnt lumps.

"Maybe in future you should try something else" Leon suggested as he watched Chris dejectedly dump his 'cookies' in the bin and shove the tray into the sink. Chris looked so forlorn that couldn't resist the urge to reach out to him. "If you want to make it up to me you could have a look at my wound" He offered. "It's really starting to hurt"

"Sure, no problem" Chris said with a shrug. "Just get on the sofa" He added, nodding towards the sofa. Leon stood up and headed into the lounge before lying down on the sofa on his uninjured side. Chris fetched the first aid kit from the cupboard and knelt down beside his partner. He carefully lifted up Leon's t-shirt and slowly removed the bandages. Leon's eyes seemed to be focussing on a distant point at the other side of the room and it was obvious that he felt uncomfortable. Chris gently unpicked the surgical tape that was holding a patch of gauze to the injury and lifted it off. The puncture wound and gash were an angry shade of red and horribly swollen.

"I think it's infected." He said, examining it closely. "There's a bit of pus leaking from the wound"

"You're going to have to clean it. Do you know how"?

"Yeah but it's gonna hurt" Chris answered. Leon nodded. "Ok, back in a second" He hurried into the kitchen and prepared a bowl of warm water. He dissolved some salt in it and carefully carried it back to the sofa. He reached into the first aid box and pulled out a pack of gauze and a pair of latex gloves. He put the gloves on and opened the gauze before dipping it in the bowl of water. "You ready"? Leon nodded his confirmation and Chris put his hand over the wound. Using his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed the edges of the gash as hard as he dared. He heard Leon's hiss of pain as the pus started to ooze out and Chris used the damp gauze to carefully wipe it away. He did this for about fifteen minutes until the pus no longer came out. "I'm done now" He said reassuringly. "I just need to put some cream on it ok"? Leon was breathing heavily and his skin was slightly red and clammy. It was obvious he was trying not to show how much pain he was in. Chris grabbed some antiseptic cream from the first aid box and squeezed some onto his gloved palm before gently rubbing it into the wound. He carefully wrapped the injury back up with fresh bandages and tidied the empty packets and his now discarded gloves away knowing that his partner would want him to clean up after himself. He stowed the first aid box back in its correct cupboard.

"How are you doing"? He asked when he came back into the lounge. Leon had made no attempt to sit back up and was laying with his arm over his face.

"Peachy" He mumbled.

"Well if you don't need anything else, I think I'm going to go for a shower" Chris replied. "I'll bring your painkillers in here with some water so you don't have to get up"

Chris fetched the box of painkillers and a glass of water and put them on the coffee table so there were in easy reach for Leon. The younger man hadn't removed his arm or said anything else so Chris decided to head up the stairs for his shower. His feet were barely on the first step when he heard the quiet but definite comment.

"Thanks"

Leon opened his eyes and was a little confused to see a white ceiling and a maroon light-shade. He distinctly remembered falling asleep on the sofa so, logically, he should've woken up to see a cream ceiling and an impressive brass and glass light-shade in the shape of a star. Leon didn't often have lapses of memory so he found the situation a little odd to say the least. How the hell had he ended up in his bedroom? Surely those painkillers weren't that strong?

"Awesome you're up"

Leon sat up slightly to see Chris easing his way through the bedroom doorway, having some trouble with a tray.

"What the-"? Leon started to say as Chris slowly made his way over to him, the contents of the tray wobbling ominously.

"You seemed really out of it yesterday and I figured it was because of your infection so I brought you up to bed and thought you might like to rest today" Chris explained. "I fixed you a little something," He added, laying the tray across Leon's lap. It was a rather haphazard concoction that Leon supposed was Chris' attempt at breakfast. There was half a glass of orange juice that he'd obviously squeezed from the oranges in the fruit bowl judging by the large amount of pips that were floating in it. Next to this was a stack of blackened toast and a bowl of yellowy froth, which Leon had to assume, were scrambled eggs. Chris had laid out two painkillers on a piece of folded toilet paper, which Leon guessed was meant to serve as a napkin. The centrepiece of this disaster was a dandelion that Chris had presented in one of the dirty milk bottles. "That guy from your office phoned. He said he's managed to get what you asked for and that you should stop by to pick them up" He continued, grabbing a knife and fork from his back pocket and handing them over. "So I told him I'll come to get them. He seemed concerned when I said you were ill"

"You shouldn't have said that" Leon replied sourly. "I'm not ill" He insisted though his side was still aching horribly and felt as though it were on fire. Chris frowned and put his hand across Leon's forehead. "I asked you not to touch me," Leon snapped, batting the hand away, albeit a little weakly.

"You're burning up" Chris replied, folding his arms across his chest. "You need to stay in bed. Eat your breakfast and then you can take your painkillers. I'm gonna get a shower and then head to the office to meet that guy"

"And who put you in charge"? Leon said snippily. He knew Chris had a point. He felt terrible and knew that he was in no shape to make the trip to the office to pick up the bullets and it really annoyed him. Chris disappeared, presumably to take a shower, leaving Leon to poke at the food on the tray. He'd never had someone make him breakfast in bed before and although the food looked virtually inedible; it was nice to think that Chris had obviously put in the effort in the first place. The whole situation of being taken care of was alien to him yet in some way, it made him feel good. He looked down at the contents of the tray and wondered what to do. He didn't want to eat any of it but at the same time, he didn't want to leave it untouched. He heard the shower start up from the bathroom down the hall. He considered hurrying down the kitchen and disposing of the food there but there was no way he'd be able to get down there quickly and get back into bed. He could slide the tray under his bed but that would be too obvious. He looked around until an idea struck him. Without a second thought, he opened his bedside table drawer and tipped the food into it, closing it quickly before resting the empty tray and plates back on his lap. As much as it pained him to create such a terrible mess by dumping the 'breakfast' into his drawer, it pained him more to think that he would hurt Chris' feelings if he left the tray untouched.

Chris hammered on the office door. He'd been directed to Dennis' office by the sexy looking receptionist and was now waiting for him to answer. He remembered how Leon had told him off for just barging in last time so he figured that this time he should knock. He didn't however; expect to be hanging around outside the door waiting for an answer. The few people that were milling about the corridors in their business suits were starting to give him strange looks like he was some sort of idiot. He gave a final knock before trying the door handle. It turned easily and, deciding that he'd stood around long enough, Chris let himself into the office. He knew now why he hadn't received an answer. The office was empty.

He hadn't really taken in his surroundings the last time he'd been here. It was a pretty average sort of office. He would've expected it to be a lot more swankier since it was in a government building and all but it was actually pretty boring. There was a water cooler up against one wall with a pot plant next to it. The desk was in the middle of the room with one of those executive leather chairs behind it. There were a couple of filing cabinets against the opposite wall and above those was a map of what was presumably Spain. The only personal effect in the whole room was a chipped RPD coffee mug on the desk. Chris picked it up and looked at it, smiling slightly when he realised that what he was holding was now quite rare. He put the mug down and noticed a few files scattered on the desktop. He recognised one of them as the report that Leon had compiled and one of the others to be a copy of the mission brief. The other folder that got his attention was one that had his name neatly written across the tab in sloping script. Unable to resist the urge to just leave it there, Chris sat on the edge of the desk and picked the file up. He'd known that the government would've had some information on him but he was interested to see just how much they had. As he flipped through the slim folder, he could see that it was all pretty standard stuff. His basic information was there, his full name, date of birth, place of birth as well as a basic resume dating right back from his time in the Air Force. He smirked as he read the sentence 'Was summarily dismissed from the United States Air Force on the grounds of insubordination'. Whoever had compiled the file certainly knew their stuff. Even Claire and Jill didn't know about his dismissal. He'd told them both that he'd simply chosen to leave and wanted a change of career. The file went on to briefly outline his achievements in the RPD, his transfer to S.T.A.R.S and then, in more detail, his involvement in the Spencer Mansion Incident and subsequent Anti-Umbrella activity. It mentioned his trip to Russia as well as a brief summary of the BSAA and their funding applications, their most recent being to the government and a pharmaceutical company called Tricell. Chris frowned at that last part. It had been Barry's idea to apply to Tricell but Chris wasn't so sure. It seemed that after all their past troubles with a certain other pharmaceutical company and virus spillages, applying for funding from another was just, quite frankly, dumb.

Chris tossed his file aside after dismissing it as being extremely boring. He didn't need to read about himself since he was, after all, himself. He glanced back down at the other files on the pile and raised his eyebrow as he saw one identical in colour to his own but with 'Leon Kennedy' written across the tab. Chris looked around quickly to make doubly sure no-one was around, behind the plant for instance, before picking it up and opening it. He felt a twinge of guilt at doing so but hell, he'd tried his damnedest to get to know his partner only to be knocked back so he thought he might as well go for it. He quickly skimmed through Leon's basic information, learning that his partner was three years younger than him and that his middle name was 'Scott'. The file touched upon his time at the police academy, mentioning that he'd graduated top of his class with a list of scores attached. Chris flicked through a few more pages and found a copy of the letter confirming his transfer from the NYPD to the RPD. There was a long summary of the Raccoon City incident, which was followed by a transcript of his interview with government agents and medical notes indicating that he'd been shot during the Raccoon City outbreak. Intrigued, Chris read on to discover that Leon had been granted temporary guardianship of Sherry Birkin but this was quickly revoked when he was assigned to basic training for the government as well as some psychological concerns following his experiences in Raccoon City. Chris felt another stab of guilt as he read on, realising that Leon probably wouldn't want him to know that there'd been talk of him suffering PTSD as well as being observed to have 'self destructive tendencies'. Chris flicked forward a few more pages that detailed Leon's training and his success in O.R.E. or 'Operational Readiness Exercises'. Chris found it strange to read reports that indicated that Leon worked well with others and had had a succession of partners during basic training missions. A name that continued to crop up was 'Jack Krauser'. It seemed that the pair had trained together at one of the facilities and had been recognised as an efficient and high-ranking team. There was a small sheaf of mission reports signed by both Leon and Jack Krauser indicating that they'd been on a lot of missions together. Chris' frown deepened. He knew that Leon didn't like to talk about himself and his past but he would've thought he'd have heard something about this Krauser guy since the two had obviously been a good team. He read on, flicking through more mission reports until he found something a lot more interesting. There was a mission report entitled 'Operation Javier' that mentioned something to do with the Veronica virus that Chris recognised from his time in Antarctica. Both Leon and Krauser had participated in the mission but strangely, the mission document was signed only by Leon. As he turned the page Chris read a report that detailed Leon's treatment at the hands of Krauser regarding his sexuality. Chris almost dropped the file in surprise. Leon was gay? The report stated that upon returning to the their government base following the events in Brazil, relations were strained between Leon and Krauser with the latter completely distancing himself and refusing to work with him. The report also contained an interview with Leon where Leon was made to explain his reasons for coming out to his partner, how it had happened and what the reactions were. As Chris read the interview he discovered that Leon had trusted Krauser enough to tell him about his sexuality and that Krauser had reacted badly to it. Their working relationship became instantly strained and Krauser listed this as the reason for getting injured during Operation Javier. Leon had explained to the interviewer that Krauser was deeply homophobic and had, in his own words, made his life a misery. Krauser was held in such high esteem amongst the other recruits at the base that they instantly sided with him on the matter and Leon was left a virtual outcast. The interview ended with the interviewer asking Leon what they could do to better accommodate him. Leon had asked to be moved away from the base completely and that he would take any job offer they had even if it meant leaving the country. It was here that he was offered the post in Spain. The interview and job offer had been signed by Leon, the interviewer and a third party witness.

Chris closed the file and hurriedly put it back on the desk. He had that slightly sick feeling in his stomach that you get from discovering something you didn't really want to know. He swallowed hard and stood up. No wonder Leon hadn't wanted to tell him anything about himself or even wanted him as a partner. It was obvious that he'd cared for and trusted Jack Krauser enough to tell him about who he really was, only to have it backfire horribly. It all fit together, Leon's business like demeanour, his acidic comments, and his unwelcoming attitude. It was all designed to keep him at arm's length at all times. Chris shook his head. He decided that he would go back to the house and would tell Leon that it was all ok. He had no problem whatsoever with gay people and as far as he was concerned; who Leon banged was none of his business anyway. He knew Leon wouldn't be over the moon at the idea that his private file had been read but he figured that the relief that he could drop the act and be himself would outweigh that.

"Ah Mr Redfield" A voice made Chris jump. He whipped round to see Dennis standing there, holding a black messenger bag. Chris had been so involved in reading the files; he'd actually forgotten that he was there to collect something. Dennis smiled at him and proffered the bag. "The bullets that Leon was asking for" He explained. Chris took the bag and slung it over one shoulder. "I trust you're finding Leon alright to work with"?

"Yeah, yeah" Chris nodded. "It'll be even better now-" He was about to explain why but knew that this Dennis guy probably wouldn't appreciate his files being disturbed. "So this is all I came for"?

"That's right. I'd like you to tell him that they're weren't easy to come by but that I managed to pull a few strings" Dennis smiled. "Oh and wish him a speedy recovery"

"Oh great, you're up"! Chris grinned at his partner as he breezed through the front door. Leon was sitting on the sofa flicking through a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. It was the first time since they'd drunk whiskey together that Chris had seen the younger man look relaxed. There was a bit more colour in his cheeks and it appeared that the lazy morning had been just what he needed. Chris smiled as he dumped the messenger bag on the floor by the front door. A relaxed Leon was a sight he could easily get used to and he was about to make it a bit more permanent.

"Did you get the bullets"? Leon asked, looking up from his newspaper. Chris nodded and took a seat in the armchair, grinning from ear to ear. Leon looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you look so pleased with yourself"? He asked tentatively.

"You can relax now" Chris replied triumphantly. He'd been practising how he was going to impart the good news to his partner on the journey home and thought that he had it right.

"So you got the bullets"?

"Bullets? Oh yeah…those" Chris waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah Dennis gave me a load" He nodded towards the bag on the floor. "But, even better news than that, you don't have to be all worried and uptight anymore"!

"What are you talking about"? Leon looked utterly confused.

"I know you're gay," Chris answered with a shrug. He'd decided that the direct approach was probably the best. "I know that you're gay and that that Krauser guy got freaked out by it and started being a dick and that's why you act the way you are. I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to be like that with me because I'm fine about it, like I said before, I've got nothing against gay guys so yeah"

"Explain" Leon said darkly. Chris glanced over at his partner to see that the relaxed vibe had completely disappeared. He was leaning forward slightly with an expression on his face that could only be described as well controlled rage. Even Chris could see that he was digging his own grave and rapidly.

"Um well…y'see…I didn't really mean to but there was this file on Dennis' desk and he wasn't there…so yeah…Y'know how it is…hanging round you need something to read"

"So you read my personal file"? Leon was speaking calmly but Chris could see a nerve in his temple flickering. This wasn't the exact reaction that he'd been expecting. He nodded slowly. Leon's mouth became a thin, grim line. Chris braced himself for a verbal assault but was surprised when, wordlessly; Leon got up from the sofa and left the room.

END OF CHAPTER THREE.