#leon s kennedy × original female character

[aredsunrise]

You're Also The Priority

Notes : It is an Leon S Kennedy x original female character (Charlie Miller) fic. 22 y/o oc. Long chapter.

Summary : It all started when Ashley and her old friend, Charlie, returned from their school. Before they could understand what was happening, a tough man had kidnap them and took them to Spain. Separate from Ashley, when they arrived in an old, weird village, Charlie made it her mission to find her and get away as soon as possible. This is how an agent, who was supposedly there to rescue her and Ashley, found her.

CW : Angst? - Slow Burn - Canon-Typical Violence - Fluff? - Bad Writing - Mutual Pining - Flirting

Words : 2 413

Charlie try to survive. Leon is there to kill aaaaand Luis and Charlie meets ! Youpii !

Good reading !

PS: I apologize for the mistakes. Since the chapter is really longer, I don't necessarily see everything.

Part Three

She found herself locked up again, but this time in a smaller and more sinister room than the first. She had to go out, she couldn't take it anymore. Charlie didn't know how long she had been asleep. The lack of light and the missing windows prevented him from having an idea of the weather. It drove her mad and nauseous. With shaking hands, she removed her dress, as if it prevented her from breathing. Keeping only her pants and the thick white shirt she had stolen. As she threw the clothes around the room, she heard the sound of a distant voice and without further ado, provided herself with a candlestick, larger than those in his old room. She had managed to escape by knocking out one of the inhabitants that way, it could still work.

"Ashley Graham, are you in here?" she heard clearly when the door opened. Without looking she tried to knock the person out, without success and hit the ground. She tried again, but the person stopped her by grabbing the candlestick.

"Easy with that!"

When she finally looked up, she saw the man that was supposed to rescue her and Ashley. 

"You."

"Listen," said the blond man - Leon. "I'm-"

It was insane, but she didn't care to listen to him right now, getting away from her prison was the first thing she needed. She let a sigh escape her lips as she started to run, leaving him in the room. She didn't stop very far, just in front of a window and analyzed what was out there.

"Hey. It's dangerous outside," warned Leon as he approached her. "You need to listen to me-"

"I think we're having trouble", Charlie interrupted, pointing at the window. In the distance villagers with torches came towards them, in what Charlie understood to be, a church. Leon practically stuck to her to watch what she was pointing at. Suddenly a voice that came from nowhere began to resonate.

" Pursue them"

A huge headache seized her. Closing her eyes, Charlie saw the man with the hood. She could just see him talking, murmuring some stuff as his voice echoed in her head.

 "The lost lambs are escaping... Deliver unto them... Salvation."

When the voice and the headache ceased, Charlie opened his eyes and noticed the villagers who were far away, were only now in front of the church. She met the agent's gaze for a moment before he looked out the window again.

"Stick to the wall", he orders her.

"OK..." she responded by doing as he asked her. "What do we do now?"

"The president trusts me", Leon replied while turning to her. "And I need you to trust me too and do exactly as I say. I'm gonna get you and Ashley home safe."

Charlie just nodded. There was a noise downstairs and Leon waved at her to stay still as he walked over to the ledge in front, glancing at what was going on. He leaned down and Charlie did the same as she approached him.

"All right, let's get the hell out of here."

They walked to the left in a squatting way and looking up there was a closed ladder.

"Get the ladder," said Leon. 

"Me?" she said as he gestured for her to climb onto him. "OK."

She climbed on his back to get on his shoulders and as soon as he got up, she was able to reach a part of the ladder. When Charlie got to the top, she kicked the ladder, which freed it. She went upstairs and found herself in an attic with no exit.

"There's no way out," she indicated to Leon when he reached her. He didn't answer. Instead, he went to the window and after a last look at the back, he jumped. When the young woman approached the window and saw the height, she froze.

"No way!"

"It's OK. I've got you."

Charlie looked behind her, searching for another exit that wouldn't kill her. 

"Hey, trust me," reassured Leon. 

"Fine! - Fine, I jump..." 

She boarded the window and after taking a deep breath jumped into the void. She kept her arms against her chest, closing her eyes. Fear prevented her from releasing any scream or sounds. Leon got her, as he said, and kept it for a few moments, in his arms, until she came to her senses, before he lowered her gently to the stone ground. Wind and rain whipped Charlie's face. Automatically she crossed her arms against her chest to cover herself from the cold, not understanding how the agent at her side seemed to not care when he had short sleeves. 

"Th-Thanks." 

He jumped again to land on a dirt floor by answering a brief "It's my job" as Charlie took the less dangerous route up the ladder, not caring if he wanted her to jump again. Leon watched her descend, checking to see if she was okay as a sound echoed in his ears. Hunnigan. When Charlie put both feet on the ground, she saw the blond put his hand near her ear and talk to someone she couldn't hear. 

"Roost, I've secured Baby Rabbit... Affirmative."

"Baby Rabbit?"

Leon continued to talk as he moved forward. Charlie couldn't hear what the other person was telling him. Anyway with the wind and the rain she would never have heard anything. 

"Copy that," replied the agent before lifting a piece of furniture that was blocking their way.

"Am I Baby Rabbit?" asked Charlie. The blond only nodded. "I can't wait to know if Ashley gets a more adorable animal. Can I know?"

"Hers is less cute."

"Wow. I almost feel special for having a better animal than the president's daughter."

"I never say you have the better one," jokes for the first time the agent with a smirk that Charlie knew he had even though he turned his back on her. 

"The cutest is always the best", she replied with a confident tone and a smile on her face. Leon changed the subject, telling her, once again, that it was dangerous and that she had to stay close. Then, as they advanced, villagers with torches walked inside the church. A woman blocked their way from behind and without expecting it, Leon covered her mouth and stuck a knife in her throat before laying her on the ground. Charlie was sure she was going to puke over this sudden murder, but she knew he had no choice. The two crouched behind a rock near the gate as they saw another villager arrive. Unfortunately, he noticed them and started shouting something incomprehensible. Leon grabbed Charlie's hand and started running towards the cemetery.

"They're coming. Stay behind me!"

"OK!"

Her body was shaking and her heart was beating hard in her chest. They made their way and the blond shot two men who were blocking their way. They ran until they saw houses. There, a purple flame was with a man, near the stone wall. He wore a long black coat with a hood and a purple scarf that covered his face leaving only his eyes visible. And on his back, he had a huge backpack that was bigger than him. 

"Took care of a request, did you? I can tell by the look on your face," the man told him with an amused tone as Leon approach him but he didn't answer. Charlie didn't pay attention to what Leon was doing, preferring to cast worried glances around her at the sight of villagers. When he had finished, he touched the shoulder of the young woman who jumped. He apologized and told her to continue. The two walked towards the door of a house, which when entering was not one. As a fog blocked his view of the ground, Charlie noticed skulls and bones lying around. There were long tables and chairs all over the room.

"Who was the man outside?" questioned Charlie when they headed for another door on the other side.

"I don't know", Leon replied, kicking two barrels. "All I know is he's a merchant."

"Can we trust him?"

The blond turned to her as he opened the door.

"I don't know. He sells me useful things. If he's not on our side, we quickly find out."

The young woman nodded in response, not reassuring. As soon as they stepped outside, the wind whipped them. Charlie tried to cover her face with her hands without much success.

"Hunnigan was right about the weather..." 

They continued running and entered a house through the window. This was a plunge into darkness. As soon as Leon turned on a flashlight to see more clearly, a door opened on three villagers. Charlie reflexively cried out as she covered her ears when she saw Leon raise his gun. When he managed to get rid of them, they left the house. A bonfire stood in the middle of the square, at least illuminating the place. Charlie quickly got lost because Leon wanted to search every house. Sometimes she had to climb on his shoulders to unlock the door for him. They managed to reach another small corner filled with houses where dogs with strange and disgusting stuff came out of their backs. Leon had to fight other villagers, even one of them had a fucking cow face. They met the merchant, a second time before Leon dragged Charlie to a suspension bridge. The young woman was so scared when she felt the bridge move under her feet, but she couldn't stop. Especially not when she saw a man open a door and wave them over. 

Charlie started to run faster as best she could, only looking ahead, suspecting that several villagers were in the area or behind them. As soon as she entered the house, she put her hands on her knees, breathless. Her lungs were on fire. She felt Leon's hand settle on her shoulder reassuringly before he takes it off. Charlie looked up and she saw a man with long brown hair in a red jacket and blue or black pants.

"You!"

"Hey... Listen, about earlier... I-" the man tried to say, stepping back.

"Yeah, about that," replied Leon putting his fist on his chest to hold him against the wall. 

The man turned his gaze to Charlie who had got up, less out of breath than before. "Hey. I see you found your "missing señorita."

"My name is Charlie," she replied. "You are?" 

"Name's Luis. Encantado."

"Great, we all have names. Now then-" interrupted Leon, pushing him harder against the wall with his fist. "Who are you? And what're you doing here?"

"Very good questions, unfortunately..." replied Luis, pointing to the window with his chin. 

Leon let go of him immediately, approaching the window to see more clearly. "Hide. Now!" he ordered to Charlie.

She looked around but saw nothing useful.

"In that case, here, help me," said Luis, bending down to lift a cupboard. 

"Charlie, quick! Over here!"

Charlie walked over and after a last look at Leon leaned down to step into the hole. She heard the cabinet fall behind her.

That's it.

She was alone and a window shattered to her right. 

"Fuck!"

Without further ado, Charlie pushed a piece of furniture to prevent anyone from entering. She managed to do the same with another window, but there were still two left and she had nothing to cover them. She heard one of them break and villagers began to enter to her left.

"Fuck!"

She spotted a staircase and climbed it as fast as she could. Upstairs, there was no door, no exit, except for a window to her right.

"No choice."

She ran to it and tried to open it. It's blocked.

"You fucking kidding me!" she screamed, while the stress seized her when she heard the villagers coming up the stairs. "Fuck you all!"

She kicked as hard as she could at the window. It broke, giving her enough space to jump. Without wanting to check the height, she stood on the edge and despite the wood and the glass entering her skin, she jumped. Her legs hurt when she landed on the bottom, but it was bearable. What hurt her the most were the cuts she had made on her arm and hands. She heard gunshots not far from her and rushed towards them. Leon and Luis were not far away. She came to a door and opened it. She spotted the two men in the room.

"Leon! This way, Hurry!"

The two wasted no time and joined her. They ran until Leon pulled on a chain that lowered the portcullis. Charlie took a moment to catch her breath, bracing her back against the wooden wall. A sudden cough seized her. She put her hand over her mouth and saw blood there.

"Charlie?!" She heard Leon as he approached her. 

"What the hell," she panicked.

"Charlie," said Luis, taking her bloody hand. "Is this the first time you've coughed up blood like this?"

"Yes..."

"You wanna start explaining?" asked Leon. 

"The cough, the blood – It's caused by something called a... "plaga"."

Charlie and Leon looked at each other not understanding what Luis was telling them.

"OK. You saw those "people", right?" continued Luis approaching the portcullis. "Well, you have the same thing inside you. The same thing that made them like that."

Luis approached Charlie once again. "this, what you're experiencing. These symptoms... They're only the beginning."

"No-No! I don't want to become like them!" Charlie exclaimed.

"You are, well, lucky. You see, at this early stage, the parasite – the plaga. It is possible to remove it... with a surgical procedure. All you need is some know-how."

Luis showed them a part of his chest that showed a big scar. "And, oh yeah – the right equipment."

"Wait. You too?" asked Leon. 

"No worries. See I have a plan," Luis replied, stepping back. "But you're going to have to trust me."

Leon turned to Charlie. She shrugged and nodded. Did they really have a choice? 

The agent did the same thing to Luis.

"Great! We're partners then!"

"Hey, why are you-" tried to say Leon but Luis didn't let him finish. 

"No time for any questions. The clock is ticking!"

"Why are you helping us?" Leon asked still.

"Because it makes me feel better. Let's leave it at that. Will contact you later."

And Charlie and Leon watched him go in the rain and the wind without asking anything more.

[ghosty-writes-23]

Incorrect Quotes. - Leon Kennedy + OC!Iris Edition.

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Villian!Iris : You can’t Mansplain or Malewife your way out of this boss, not this time.

Wesker: Manslaughter then.

Villian!Iris: Wait hang on, no can do.

Wesker: What why not.

Villian!Iris: did you forget that you are currently wanted by the entire government

Wesker: Damn it.

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Agent!Iris: "you’re telling me to believe in myself, when I’m the one that got us into this mess." *She says as they are currently sitting in a cell handcuffed together as they had been captured.*

Leon: "Right, didn't think about that."

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Leon's Wife Y/n: *Is looking between her husband and Iris.* "No fighting okay."

Iris: *looks at his Leon's wife innocently* "Of course doll."

Leon: *sighs softly but nods his head.*

Iris: *As soon as Leon's wife leaves.* "Pussy."

Leon: "I will knock your ass out.

Leon’s Wife Y/n: *sighs shaking her head.*

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Iris: *Is walking on the edge of a rooftop railing as they wait for a helicopter to come and get them.* ”Come with me, and you'll see, why I need to be medicated.” *She softly sings as she twirls around on the edge.*

Sherry: *looks at Leon with a cornered look on her face after glancing at Iris.* “is she okay?”

Leon: *Take one look at Iris and shakes his head.* “I don't think she ever has been."

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©️2024 - GhostyWrites23 All Rights Reserved. ❌Please don't repost, translate or copy any of my work without permission.❌

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[winksasleeplesseye]

reunio (six)

SUMMARY: While Leon and Ashley are off on their own adventure amongst the vast castle, Amara, Luis, and the reluctant Ada are off on their own journey within the castle walls. A hunt and a reunion ensues. But, the chaos isn't over yet.

WORD COUNT: 7k (no edits, we die like men)

WARNINGS: some item hunting, angst, flashbacks and conversations and violence

[PREVIOUS] [SERIES MASTERLIST] [NEXT]

1999

The wallpaper was a bit dated, gaudy for sure. All of it in its 70s glory. The floral green upholstered couches and almost painful salmon pink of the accents and decor made Amara’s eyes hurt. 

Paired with the two suits currently occupying the couches. They looked just about excited as postmen at Christmas. Only here out of obligation to the young girl temporarily staying here. It’d been a tough first year, reestablishing normalcy to a girl who’d had less than a normal life proved to be far more difficult than expected. Another reason they’d called her here, beyond their allotted visits. 

The older woman, Mrs. Hoffman, was sweet but one could tell she ran her home with a tad bit of an iron fist. If it wasn’t already clear, this woman was strict to Sherry. 

Treating her as though what laid inside her could be fixed.

Stupid. Fucked up, really.

They’d become two of a kind. Amara knew what it was like to be uprooted quite often, never quite having stability to really put much stock into making friends, sure, she’d try but never quite knowing when they’d be off to the next place made it hard to keep in touch. 

Sherry had been in limbo, both Amara and Claire argued that this much moving around didn’t do much for her. 

Amara leaned against the doorframe, Sherry not yet made aware of her being there as she rummaged through a storage container of cassette tapes. Even from her sitting position on the floor, Amara could tell she’d hit a bit of a growth spurt in her absence. 

The soft melody of an older song played in the cassette player as Sherry clicked it on. The Jackson Five. 

Hmm, she was impressed that Sherry even knew them. 

The song was Got to Be There. Huh, how fitting. 

“Aren’t you a little young to be listening to such old songs?” Amara makes her presence known, the smile Sherry wore is enough to make her have one in return. 

Pushing herself off the ground, she practically jumped into her arms. “Amara!”

“Sherbear! Careful now, my ribs are still bruised from the last hug you gave me,” she jested, ruffling her hair. “How’s Hoffman treating you?” 

“Like a fucking dictator.” There’s a particular heavy emphasis on the curse word. It was definitely new to her. 

“Hey, watch that language.”

“Sorry. It’s just—“

“Yeah, I know.” 

They wanted her here to quell Sherry’s frustrations with going from place to place. One could say she was essentially in the system. Considering how this country operated, no one wanted to be there but Sherry had a strange predicament to start. The cards didn’t really line up in any of their favors. 

Unfortunately, soon enough, she’d be under the care of Derek C. Simmons. 

It was the last option the government had. Amara had fought tooth and nail with the decision but there wasn’t much leverage on her part. Couldn’t exactly go against her own deal, really. 

That man in question had something about him that made her stomach turn. He was like Irons 2.0, a general creepy vibe radiated from him that she didn’t like. He seemed the last person qualified to truly care for Sherry. 

“When am I gonna get to stay with you?” She has a puppy dog look in her eyes. “I’ve never been more bored in my life.”

“Sorry kiddo, but I still have no idea,” Amara answered honestly, shoving a hand into her pocket. She didn’t want to crush the girl’s hopes. Wait. She almost forgot. “Sheesh, Sherry, your keychain!” 

“Where from this time?”

Sherry had developed a strange knack for collecting keychains much like a mother collecting mugs from her kids in their many travel adventures. Amara thought it sweet and just about the funnest thing to pick up on her missions, the others assigned with her would make fun that she’d take the time to stop into the most touristy places just for a “silly” keychain but to see Sherry’s eyes light up as she looked over the fun designs made it worth it. 

“Italy, can’t you tell by the moped?” Amara pointed out the cartoon, an over-exaggerated man speeding away on his blue Vespa and the damn near kismet colors of brown cobblestone streets against a teal-blue skyline on it made it one of the more artistic keychains she’d picked out for the girl. 

Sherry, a little too perceptive for her own good, seems to notice Amara’s overall demeanor underneath the smile she wore. 

“I’m not staying here much longer, am I?”

“You know, in another life, I’d like to think you’d be a detective the way you pick up on so much,” Amara sighed with a sad smile, going down to eye level with the girl. 

“When?”

Her head hangs low, she can’t say it…not directly anyway, not while seeing the sadness that would spring to the girl’s eyes. 

“Next week. With Simmons.” 

Amara inevitably looked on the bright side. Having someone as “important” as Simmons as her guardian guaranteed that no perceived threats could get close to the girl. The only threat that she could think of was Wesker (only second to the very government themselves). After the mansion incident and RC, Wesker’s body had never been recovered so that formed the only logical conclusion to come to that he still walked among the living. 

“He gives me the creeps,” Sherry fiddled with a loose hem on her t-shirt, “a lot of creeps.” 

“I won’t fight you on that, kiddo. But, he’s just about the safest option for you now and you know Claire and me fought hard on that choice.” Amara explained. “There’s a quote I heard once that went a bit like this…in any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” 

“This feels like the wrong thing.” Her voice is small. 

“It’s better than nothing, right?” Amara noted. “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to just up and leave and never see you again. You’ll always have me, we are two of a kind after all.” 

Present 

Amara wandered through the grandiose halls of the castle, in search of an item—a blue Butterfly to be specific—to aid Luis in creating a new suppressant and at the same time pondered on the notion of getting Sherry a castle keychain.

This mission had her thinking a lot about the past few years considering she had not one, but two familiar faces from Raccoon. And if Leon was any indication, they’d been…difficult to say the least. 

He was always pretty, but damn, he looked exhausted.

She never thought about her own struggles with sleep nor the other problems that arose too hard, barely breaching the surface. Just put them down as nights filled with distant voices on TV and ramen. The beauty of compartmentalization, she’d punch it down any chance she got. She rubbed her back gingerly, feeling a knot beneath her fingertips. A constant almost hunger sat in her stomach and it gnawed and bubbled like bile in her throat. 

“Definitely need a hot bath after this.” Amara scaled the wall. Silently wishing she had Ada’s grappling gun. 

Amara surveyed the room once she entered, gun at the ready, listening for any special guest that was too keen on choking her out.

Clear. 

She lowered her gun, putting it back in her holster. “Thank fucking God.” 

“Now, let’s see about a blue butterfly.” 

The collection room sat below one of the castle battlement towers so it was pretty clear how little whoever ran this place cared less about preservation, should it have ever come under attack. 

Her hands slid across the displays. The floor creaked under her weight with every cautious step. For a moment, it was as if she were at a museum, slowly gazing over different exhibits. Something about these items fascinated the curiosity deep down.

A letter stood out on the table next to an animal skull, almost too convenient if Amara had to guess. 

Her eyes skim the letter—a diary entry now that she looks closer—and it reads: 

Preparator’s Notes

The collection master is a tacky and lousy boss! He leaves all the dissections for me to do! Even if he does bother to come here, all he does is gawk at his three favorite specimens in a particular order before leaving. 

There’s nothing special about them anyway! Why only look at those three specimens when we have that prized butterfly to admire?

A good researcher would know such things. 

She now noticed the lock, images were the code to unlock it. Seriously? What was it with the damn puzzles? 

She walked around the room about three times. By the third time, her vision blacked out momentarily and a pain struck inside her ribcage. It sent her to her knees.  “Fuck sake, knock it off.” Amara almost wanted to punch herself in the chest but thought better of it. Was this what Leon and Ashley were going through too? 

The more negative part of her thoughts drifted to the smallest possibility of them failing. Small, but ever present. 

A puppet to a parasite. No control over her own body, her own thoughts. Controlled by some unknown figure. 

A particular twist in her gut made her feel like any contents in her stomach could come up. She didn’t want to stomach that for either one of them. Or herself for that matter. They didn’t survive everything thrown their way so far to give up now. 

Stand on your feet, girl. One of her trainers would say after a breathtaking blow would damn near make her keel over. Amara would wave a hand dismissively (tears threatening to spill from her eyes), thinking maybe just maybe she wasn’t cut out for it after all. But that was too easy. 

“Amara? Hanging in there?” Luis’ voice from her radio shaked her out of her thoughts.

“Define that, and I’ll let you know,” She pathetically pushed herself to her feet. “How’s it coming with the ingredients?” 

“Just need yours and we’re good. I’m all about taking it slow, but maybe hurry it up?” 

“So I've saved the best for last?” Amara wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m honored.” She turned the lock a few times, the crudely drawn images on it denoted the animal skulls she had examined. 

A satisfying click comes from it as it opens the display. A perfectly preserved blue butterfly. She weighs it between her fingertips, careful not to let it break. “This better work for all the trouble you gave me.” 

There’s a silence from the comms but she can still hear the sounds in the background on Luis’ end. “Luis, I’ve got it. On my way.” She hangs up shortly after.

Amara is more than ready to get the hell out of here but another letter catches her eye. 

Preparator’s Notes 

The collection master has yet to examine this painting. Lousy boss that he is. After my thorough examination, I’ve decided to have the painting moved to the gallery in the hall with the three-headed statue for display. 

I’m sure the castellan, or someone, will appreciate its rather unusual nature. 

“Two birds, one stone.” 

That had to be pure happenstance that the very last painting would be among the collection of the other rather stereotypical pieces that Amara expected on the walls. She racked her brain, retracing the steps it would take to get to the gallery quickly while also delivering the butterfly to Luis. 

Her watch read 7:35 pm. Amara lifted her eyes to the sky and for the first time, she noticed how dark it truly was. Almost a whole day had passed? 

Los Illuminados really had them on their toes for hours. And yet, here she was, fighting against the clock against a mind-controlling parasite to burn a painting. Shit, she needed to get her priorities straight. 

After having traversed a few of the castle walls (narrowly avoiding encounters with the black robes), she noticed Luis as he carried a wooden box. Amara could only assume those were his tools. 

Ada came up along the path not too long after her.

Amara handed Luis the butterfly, perfectly intact. Ada followed suit and handed him the ink and other items. “That should be everything.” 

Luis dug in his pocket, a small tube of sorts held between his fingertips. The Amber. An almost heady, painful reaction came over both women in its presence. Amara could see black veins as they crawled up the exposed skin of her hands. Her vision turned damn near kaleidoscopic. Her reaction is instinctive. Clawing at the fabric of her sleeve as if she felt the parasite squirming in her veins. 

The habit wasn’t wholly unfamiliar to her. As the G infection took hold of her six years ago, she remembered the spine-tingling pain and the way her nerves almost numbed to nothing. At random intervals she’d press a hand against her right arm to feel that her touch still registered against her skin. That she hadn't been overtaken by the virus. 

“Shit…the parasite must be reacting to the Amber."

"So, that's the Amber? Not exactly what I expected," Amara spoke. It was small, a mere tiny piece of what seemed to be something broken off a larger block. The parasite was minuscule within the resin of yellowish-red tree bark. Like it had been naturally occurring for quite some time. 

She had only learned a few things in her trek to get the Butterfly. The castle's history was in papers that laid haphazardly all over the various rooms of this place. They clearly had no problem with letting an outsider such as Amara learn their history. The Plagas had been here, naturally occurring within the village before the cult had come to deliver what they thought was...salvation to the villagers. Of course, then, it had no name, and the villagers searched for anything that would rid them of this "plague." 

Amara couldn't exactly blame them. How easy it was to go along with this lulled state of prosperity. 

But, it was false. A pyrrhic victory as they had given up their free will and their bodies to something truly grotesque. 

"It's coming," Ada spoke softly, a hand against her temple. 

An inhuman screech came from nearby. Amara's reaction isn't physical, so much as it is visual at the sight of...she can't even begin to describe it. Its face denoted that of a bug of sorts, gnarly claws extended out from underneath the robe it wore as it towered over all three of them. 

She never looked away, careful not to blink for fear of this disgusting thing lunging at them. Doesn't even flinch as this thing gets closer. Her first thought isn't even fighting this thing, it's going after that painting while she still had the chance. Clearly, it's after Ada and she guessed the suppressant could wait. Her second thought was catching up with Leon, now that Luis had recreated it, maybe she could tell him something good. 

With that in mind, experiencing a brief sense of deja vu, she ran toward the Grand Hall. "We'll meet up again soon!" 

"Head towards the mines!" Luis shouted back as he helped Ada away from the creature. 

The Grand Hall is just as Amara expected. Though, entirely too damn quiet for her liking. An elegant chandelier hung above her head, illuminating the hall with more than enough light. Marble statues lined the path and a plush velvet blue carpet leading to the staircase laid beneath her boots. Mud now stained the carpet and for a brief second, she felt bad that such quality was ruined by it. She would have loved to spend some more time wandering this place but she had to remind herself that she was here on a mission. 

Still, her eyes follow along the opulent archways, ones also cast in stainless marble. 

"If I were a gallery, where would I be?" Amara posed the question to herself. She pulled from her knowledge as a high school student, the history nerd inside her surely squealing at the chance to use what others deemed "useless" information. 

Castle galleries were usually nestled toward the back, better to keep their intimacy and the state of exclusivity to the ones who lived there rather than outwardly make them known. 

Plus, they offered their telling of the family's lineage and history beyond just the books. Not that Amara was particularly, fervently interested in learning about whoever ran this place now (she only learned by chance), considering the zealots followed the orders of their castellan and well, their castellan didn't like guests. 

That was another thing she'd learned. Ramon Salazar ran the show around here and didn't seem pleasant, based on what she read. 

A Spanish nobleman, descended from centuries of warriors, born to Diego and Catalina Salazar. 

She hoped she wouldn’t have to meet him, but she also wondered if Leon and Ashley had encountered him. Salazar sounded like…what was it that the servant called him? A Pulgarcito.

Fuck being impolite and imposing on his castle. Like, seriously? He threw acid on the face of one of his servants. He clearly fits right in with Los Illuminados. Catalina had allowed their influence to take hold and take hold of her son and while Amara could certainly understand the need to protect their flesh and blood, a parasite would be the last thing she'd give a child to "protect" them. Honestly, getting the chance to rid him of one painting was doing him a favor. 

The gallery is not as she expected. It's actually rather nice, at least the little shit had taste in art. Like she were one to talk, just about the only thing she ever owned art-wise was a knockoff Basquiat (before it was burned to a crisp in '98) but examining the paintings, she could still see the brushstrokes and dried paint laid upon the canvasses. The smell still hit her nose...huh, oil paint.

Most people couldn't stand the scent of paint but Amara found it quite fragrant, it made her miss her set-up at her new apartment. In the corner of her bedroom meeting the slanted windows to the floor, giving her a view of the city as she would let her paintbrush across canvases. 

She certainly would be committing the room to memory. Its vibrant apple-red carpets, marble flooring, and gold-framed displays were worthy on their own to be painted. Of course, they needed to get out of here alive first before that would happen. 

There it is. 

The painting. 

All its glory laid out before her. More of a macabre display than anything else and it all was mere inches from her fingertips.

Yet, a weird feeling wriggled up her neck. 

This is way too easy. 

Amara quickly scanned her surroundings at every angle, God forbid a spike or something dropped down on her head.

Her first steps when encountering one of the paintings on her missions were to document them. Preferably with a camera or something. Each one of the paintings needed to be documented, not only for top brass but for record purposes.

Amara’s eyes scanned the length of the frame. Shit. 

She was beginning to wish she had actually kept the mini camera from her last mission. 

How in the hell could she document this? 

As if a lightbulb shone above her head, she frantically ripped open the pouch (just short of tearing it apart) on her leg. If she couldn’t take a photo, she could damn well draw the picture, right?

Well, a more rudimentary version, at least. 

Kneeling to the ground, she places her notepad onto her thigh. A quick once over of the painting has her examining the more basic ideas of it as she began her outline.  

There wasn’t exactly the luxury of time. After a few minutes, she raises the notepad to the light. Amara turns her lips down in a judgmental manner.

Crude but good enough.

Could be better. 

Now, it was time to destroy the real thing. 

She managed to get the painting off the wall but she hadn’t accounted for the fact that maybe, just maybe, there had been a weight mechanism to deter thieves. The hall becomes shrouded in darkness, a particularly loud thud comes from the entrance she came from. 

“Shit!” She laughed humorlessly. “This is just delightful.” 

And it only seemed to get more delightful as Amara heard the heavy footsteps and shifting, grating sound of what had to be steel or iron plates. 

Just as she turned around, she only had a half second before she moved out of the way of the business end of a heavy sword. Sparks from where the sword hit the floor momentarily lit up the space. Part of her wanted to take a closer look at the knight that had just reanimated to attack her but the other part of her—and frankly, the more logical—pushed herself out of its way. 

Her stomach turned, a tightness constricting around her ribs as the knight wobbled and stumbled towards her, sword dragging against the carpet. 

Amara conferred with herself for a moment. Clearly the darkness was a trigger for it to come to life and attack so maybe light would be just the thing to stop it? It’s at this moment that she remembered she does have weapons at her disposal, namely a flash grenade she found lying around earlier.

She quickly enacts her idea–her only idea–to toss a flash grenade near it just as it raises the sword once more to swipe at her. The room is covered in the brightness white light, briefly fucking with Amara’s vision. A disconcerting little scream (screech?) sounded off from the knight and when her eyes readjust, she finds the armor in pieces on the floor and viscera around it. 

Moving closer to it, she stands over it and for some reason all that comes to mind for her to say is: “You are no knight in shining armor.” 

Amara realized how stupid it sounded only afterwards in the silence, but decided not to chastise herself. 

Some of Leon’s tendencies to quip had left an imprint on her brain.

With an eye roll, she stepped away from the armor and focused on the bars locking her in. In proper Indiana Jones fashion, she swiftly replaced the weight of the painting with a seemingly heavy chalice that had escaped its display during the knight’s melee. The bars lift from the entrance.

“Now,” she moved towards the sword, taking it in her hands, “time to actually destroy this painting.” 

Needing no preamble, Amara plunges the sword into the canvas. Dragging the sharp sword through the image with no rhyme or reason. The artist inside her cried a little at ruining of such a nice canvas but it was for the greater good. After the painting is practically shredded, Amara can faintly hear the sound of gunshots resonating within the halls. The only answer that made sense shouted in her head. Leon and Ashley. 

Dropping the sword, she propelled herself in that direction.

Amara followed the noise to find more of the castle goons were on Leon and Ashley like bees to honey. One had Leon in their clutches, choking him out while another attempted to grab at Ashley. Within moments, Amara dispatched both with efficiency. 

Both drop with unceremonius thuds but that sends Leon and Ashley’s attention towards her. She can’t help but smile.

“You know, if you needed the assist…I would’ve come sooner.” 

“Amara!” Ashley couldn’t fight a smile as she stepped over the bodies to meet them halfway. Leon sat on the ground, still recovering his breath. “Need a hand?” 

“Thanks.” Leon took hold of her outstretched hand, pulling him up to stand once again. “Where have you been? Where’s Luis?” 

She looked back towards the way she came briefly. Luis could handle Ada’s infection. Hers seemed more urgent. 

“It’s a long story, really long. He said he’d meet us in the ballroom.” 

Amara really didn’t want to divulge everything from start to finish in the time they’d been apart. Better to be given grief later by Leon. 

“What about you two? Anything interesting?”

The pair share a look. She can only imagine what that meant. She raised her eyebrows briefly before throwing her hands up in defeat, “I’m better off not knowing. Anyways, what the hell are you two doing now?” 

“Well, we’ve been trying to get a-head of the game,” Leon picks up what seems to be a golden lion statue head, his voice is deadpan, but it’s clear he’s attempting to lighten the mood.

Amara looks at Ashley, “Has he subjected you to this this whole time?” 

She chuckled a tad, “Get this. He paid me a compliment not too long ago.”

“Consider me shocked, I thought Leon the Grouch  over here had a heart of stone.” 

It doesn’t escape Amara’s notice that a corner of Leon’s mouth slightly quirked up. But just as quick as it had come, it was gone. “If you two are done, I’d like to get a move on.”

She waved a hand at him. “Oh, don’t get your holster in a twist.” 

They trailed behind Leon as he made his way back towards what seemed to be a three headed statue. Sans the one he currently held in his hands. The mechanism quietly slots into place at the final piece being attached but something about it seemed particularly off. Things couldn’t be that easy this evening. 

She doesn’t hesitate to voice that. “Well…that seemed way too easy. A bit…disconcerting actually.” 

As if right on cue, Ashley pointed and yelled out, “Leon! Amara! The stairs!” 

Both of them follow where she pointed, finding more of those stupid zealots coming after them. Everything after that happened so quick, it almost gave her whiplash.

Her heart pounded against her chest and reverberated in her ears, though she wasn’t sure if it was sheer terror or adrenaline kicking in. A healthy mix of both, probably. 

But, if there was one thing she learned in all her training, she had to do the hard things scared out of her mind.

Leon swiftly aimed his gun at them, ready to take them all on as Ashley stood closer to the pillars to give herself proper distance. 

Amara followed suit with the former. Better two guns than one. 

But just as quick, she heard a click from a switch and a familiar thud. A gilded cage surrounded both her and Leon. Leaving Ashley vulnerable. They were trapped.

“Run! Now!” Leon swiftly commanded through the bars to Ashley in a tone that Amara hadn’t heard from him before. (Though, to be fair, she’d never seen him in a mission setting until now).

They briefly shared a glance before turning their attention to the threat.

Two of their zealot friends had somehow joined them within the golden enclosure. 

She leapt out of the way of a scythe, just barely scraping at her ankles. 

Through the bars, a flaming arrow scraped against her arm. Trying not to wince, she unloaded a few rounds into the zealot with her good arm. She slid between their legs. A quick slash of a boot knife, then a disgusting spurt of red at the zealot’s ankles.

She had to be sure. 

It was a shame the higher ups couldn’t see what a pair these two were. Both worked with an efficiency and a finesse even within the barrier of the enclosure.

The zealot laid at her feet, guaranteed they would not get back up. Blood seeped onto the marble floor beneath.

There was almost a deafening silence except the lock of flames emanating from torches nearby. Amara could only breathe a sigh of relief. 

But, that didn’t stop her from being brought back to reality. Her arm. 

Damn arrows. Amara checked the sleeve of her sweater, that fiery arrow cut through it straight to her skin. Blood sat at the surface of a fresh cut and stung more than the countless other scrapes she’d acquired over the years. 

She examined the surroundings more clearly. An array of the black-robed zealots lay haphazardly around the space of the cage. 

Only she and Leon remained standing. 

Now Ashley had to fend for herself, something that Amara hated to think about. She briefly put herself in the girl’s shoes. Thinking about how scary this whole ordeal was without the necessary tools and training that the two of them had. 

She gingerly rubbed a thumb over the wound, smearing the blood onto the inside of her sweater. It’d heal. 

Just like every other wound. Part of her “experimentation” before they loosened her leash noted the G virus had granted an almost protective ability over certain types of wounds. This was one of them. 

But, with the added intruder swimming in her organs, it was almost as if this ability were halted. The pain stayed and the cut still bled. 

“You alright?” Leon asked, immediately taking gentle hold of her elbow to examine her. Amara found herself doing the same—something she’d been doing a lot since reuniting with the pair. Besides the mussed hair, dirt, and other grime, Leon looked just about as unscathed as when he’d first arrived. Except for the wound on his hand, she didn’t see it but one could ascertain from the blood on the grip of his gun.

“I’ll live. Just a scratch. Now, let me see your hand,” Amara held out her own. Leon scrunched his eyes in confusion. “What?”

“I’m no gun aficionado, but guns don’t make your hand bleed through a glove, Leon.” She gestured once more, “Now, hand please.” 

He hesitantly placed his hand in her palm. She took her time to remove his glove, the cut through it more obvious when looked at directly. Sheesh, how’d he do that? 

“Do I want to know what you did?” She asked, half joking and half serious as she met his eyes. 

He scoffed, “Will it make you feel better if I tell you?”

“Hmm, maybe.”

“Ashley tried to stab me.” He stated, as if he were describing the most mundane thing like the weather or something.

“She what?” 

“It’s not what you think…something…or someone took over her,” Leon looked as though he was still trying to piece it together. “I, at least, had—ah—the sense to stop her—shit—before she took an eye out.” Leon hissed as Amara rubbed alcohol along the cuts. 

“All it cost you was some flesh.” Amara looked away briefly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there… to help.” 

“I’m a big boy, I can fight my own battles.” 

“You don’t have to fight them alone, you know? I don’t want you to,” She admitted. “Being alone, it’s not a nice feeling-” 

“Amara—“

“And you won’t ever be alone. Not when you have me. Okay?” 

Leon pulls away the second she finishes cleaning the wound, and a heavy sigh leaves him. 

“It’s not that simple,” he spoke faintly. 

“Why not?” She asked just as quietly, ready to lay it all out considering they weren’t leaving the cage anytime soon. “Why can’t it be?”

“Is this really the time for this?” Leon is cold, cutting in his tone. It’s obvious to Amara that he’s trying to deflect. The more direct, the more indirect people became, she realized. 

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen you in—what? Six years? Now is as good a time as any,” She barked, she could feel herself running hot with anger. “I guess the message has been pretty clear and I was too stupid to see it.” 

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes more than likely annoyed to even have the conversation especially right now. 

“I stayed away for a reason, Amara, and not for whatever reason you think I have.” 

“Tell me.” 

“Because you deserve normal. A normal life. Normal everything.” The frustration is clear in his voice, but his voice remains at the same level. 

“And you don’t?” 

“Has anything since Raccoon shown that I do?” Leon gestures briefly.

“Leon, I don’t know if you’re aware but…shit’s been fucked up for me too since then. Doesn’t make the both of us any less deserving of something good.” 

“I can’t take that risk. I need you to be safe.”

“From what? The world? The government? I’ve never needed protecting, Leon. I’ve needed yo—“

You. That’s what she was going to say: that after everything, she had no one to turn to. To tell about everything and that would understand and he was the one person, her person… and he wasn’t there. It devastated her in a way she couldn’t fathom. But none of that came out, because his mouth was suddenly covering hers.

Was it a way to get her to shut up or to distract her from the topic, or both? 

Amara panicked at first, muscles stiffened, standing frozen, but his hand was on her cheek, the other wrapped gently around her neck, and she was suddenly kissing him back. 

Her arms fervently wrapped around his shoulders, crushing her front against his. Her hands thread through his hair, messing up its carefully styled appearance, making it a bit more disheveled, but it wasn’t enough. 

She wanted to dishevel all of him. 

Realizing they both needed to breathe at some point, Leon pulled away first, looking down at her. The thumb on her cheek traveled to her lower lip, tracing it.

“Don’t you realize?” Leon whispered, and she watched his lips, “The reason I need to protect you so badly is because I’m in love with you?” 

Her breath hitched at those words. Amara hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear them. 

“I’ll be damned if I let myself be another part of your suffering. You don’t deserve that,” He repeated himself as if he were trying to convince himself more than her. 

“And what do I deserve?”

“Better than me.”

“I think I can decide that for myself,” she spoke. “Leon, you’re worried about the risk, but what about the guarantees?” 

“Amara-“

“Leon! Amara!” Ashley’s voice echoed from higher up. It quickly separates the two as they both search for where it came from. 

Amara cracked a smile, her first in what felt like hours, though it was brief. 

From her vantage point, the voice seems to come from a gated door at the nearest balcony. “Ashley? Are you okay?” 

“…Yeah, hang tight, I’ll get you guys out of there!” 

The sound of her boots gets farther and farther away but Amara can’t help but feel a weight lifted. 

They both nod their head in understanding despite her not being able to see it. She had to give her some credit, she’s a smart cookie. She moves towards the statue, deciding to sit down for once.

“Sit with me?” Amara asked him innocently. He couldn’t do anything but oblige. 

Were it any other place, not surrounded by corpses, he’d think it romantic to sit under a statue. Huh, maybe this is their romantic?

Her words made the gears turn in his head. When he sat next to her, she laid her head on his shoulder. Leon cherished any sort of contact she’d give him, god knows the last time he’d known a gentle touch. 

He’d spent a lot of time alone, by choice. Having anything even remotely close to a “close” relationship with anyone was a risk. It’s probably why he’d gotten such a reputation around the office according to Hunnigan. Leon never really cared for the gossip or the attention he got. 

He never really divulged anyone in his love life prior to Raccoon and after. At least, he tried to. Hunnigan certainly pestered him enough. He’d only let himself slip up once in mentioning Amara (not by name, of course). 

She certainly teased him enough about it before this mission, but it was easy to tell that she worried about him. Leon would constantly wave her off, wave her off, wave her off until she gave up. 

But now, Amara offered a new perspective. One he never thought to consider. 

He always thought about the risks of it all and became quite familiar. What if he died on his next mission or even this one? Never got to see Amara again, something he couldn’t exactly face head-on. What about the guarantees? What if he could prove himself wrong? Do this kind of work and have someone to come home to?

Leon knew it was too soon to retire now as a government agent (not that they’d let him), but he’d imagined it—well, he didn’t imagine beyond a certain point these days. Just getting to the next day with a pulse was good enough. But a part of him—deep down—had yearned for that silly white-picket-fence life when he was more idealistic, more bushy-tailed, more the bright-eyed rookie he’d left behind in Raccoon City. Buried under the remains of a forgotten city. 

He could see that now as if Amara had unlocked it from the deepest recesses of his mind. The guarantee of someone to confide in, someone happy to be with him, happy to come home with him. 

“Get out of your head,” Amara nudged him with her elbow. “Is this a bad time to ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Are you…seeing anyone? You know, it’s been…six years.” 

“I just kissed you and said I’m in love with you, is that not answer enough?” 

“Maybe? People kiss people all the time—“

Leon sighed. “No, I’m not. You?”

“Don’t laugh. But no.” A strange giddiness came over him at this information. But still, he found it insane that that was even the case. Her? Of all people? 

“No? I find that hard to believe.” 

“Why?” 

“Why? Look at you, any man would be insane to not kiss the ground that your feet walk on.” 

“Huh, then would that make you insane?” 

Damn. She had him there.

“That’s debatable.” Her laugh is brief, it’s nice. Leon wished he could bottle it up. 

“Fucked up circumstances aside, this is good.” 

“Yeah.” His reply is terse. 

“How have you been?” Leon stares straight ahead, genuinely thinking about the question. But something inside wants to retract, dial it back in fear of revealing too much. Vulnerability isn’t exactly his strong suit. Too much of his life had become classified information. 

Awful. Terrible. Like nothing seems right. 

“I’m alive, usually counts for something,” he quipped.

“It does, so working directly under Graham, huh? How’d you manage that?” 

“Well, they asked me and I couldn’t exactly say no.” 

Amara nodded in understanding. She knew too well but he couldn’t fault her for asking. More curiosity nagged at him for what she had been doing for six years. He knew that she’d become a top agent but not exactly how that came to be. Training, a few covert ops, and Operation Javier all came to mind for himself. 

He shuddered to think what they’d had her doing. What about the past six years was fucked up for her? 

“So, uh…what about you?” 

She looked away. “I’m sure you’ve read the file.” 

He noticed her blinking rapidly as if she were trying to clear something from her vision. 

“A file only says so much.” Leon ran a hand across her forehead, still checking that she was okay. “Jesus, you’re burning up.” 

“Damn parasite.” She cursed, leaning into his touch. “Your hands are still cold.” 

That alone made Leon become more alert, and back into focus mode. She felt unnaturally, uncomfortably warm. He abruptly stood up, carefully pulling Amara up with him so that could better assess her. Holding her face between his palms, he scanned every inch of it even as her brow furrowed in obvious confusion. 

“Everything okay?” 

“I hope so.” 

That's when he noticed a brief twitch and almost jerk, he had to catch her before she all but collapsed to the floor. He recognized it, the parasite had to be working hard to take Amara down. He hated to call it a shield, but considering the G virus, she still looked just as sorry as the rest of them but it had to be fighting just as hard to keep her at "optimal" performance. Like a machine. 

She dug a hand into his bicep, eyes scrunched close while her other hand pressed against her temple. She’d been having the visions too, seeing and hearing that hooded figure in her head. Trying to lure her in with his almost sinister, charming words. 

Leon could only wonder what he’d been filling her head with. Whatever it was, it was bullshit. 

Amara seemed as though she had come up for air, the vision had passed. “Give me a fucking break.” 

“Couldn’t agree more,” Leon sighed, turning his head in the direction of where Ashley had called out to them. He really hoped that she was alright. For now, he basked in the closeness with Amara, curling his fingers around hers briefly.

Something about it was strange…foreign almost. 

Physical touch didn’t exactly fit into his busy schedule. Which in hindsight is incredibly…sad (something that Hunnigan doesn’t fail to remind him of). 

“Leon?” Amara softly spoke.

“Hm?”

She snickers a bit to herself, “I may have fibbed a bit earlier.”

He furrows his brows, turning his attention from watching the outer perimeters of the cage to her. “About?”

“Dating someone.” 

Leon’s response is swift. “Don’t tell me anything.” 

Amara jokingly scoffed. “Seriously? Why? Think you’ll get jealous?” 

“I won’t bullshit you and say I wouldn’t…because I would, insanely.” And it’s the truth. Leon always thought honesty is the best policy but that doesn’t stop the slight heat creeping up his neck in embarrassment. 

“Well, rest assured, it’s much like the antiques in this castle. Ancient history.” 

“How thoughtful of you to tell me,” Leon deadpanned. Much like with their resident Spanish heartthrob, Leon couldn’t exactly stomach the thought of anyone else wrapped up in Amara’s arms. Besides, right now, they needed to get out of this cage.

“Now, can you focus?”

“Hey, you’re the boss here,” Amara put her hands up in surrender with a knowing smirk. 

Just then, Leon could faintly hear footsteps from above. Of course, neither he nor Amara were aware their momentary reprieve was coming to an end. 

[alicerosejensen]

Support

Leon: You do understand that I can't make out a single word?

Jennifer: "incoherent mumbling accompanied by sniffling"

LEON: Good. Let's wash your face while I make you some tea.

JENNIFER: Okay...

* Continues to roar*

Leon: How can I help you? Baby, it's okay to cry. You don't have to keep everything to yourself, everyone has difficulties in life. You can always tell me what's bothering you.

JENNIFER: Yes...but probably later... * Sob * I don't want to bother you. I'm sorry, I'm completely confused. It's just all piled up.

Leon: I understand, sweetheart, it's okay, you're not bothering me. I just need to make out what you're saying while you're crying. It's complicated, but let's get you in order, and you'll tell me everything legibly.

[thestayathomedragon]

Apparently I have a fan works blog I completely forgot existed.

[os3npaio]

✧˖°THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS: ˖✧

CW: TWO YEARS ATER RE4, Lyric Use, Canon x OC, Resident Evil 4 Spoilers, Adult situations, Smut scenes, Trigger Warnings, tobacco use, alcohol use, violence, some gore, and PTSD episodes

╰₊➢(Resident Evil 4 & Resident Evil Outbreak Characters & OCs) ╰₊➢(Will have spoilers from Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Outbreak & Resident Evil Degeneration)

Word Count: 4,462 Part Break " { ♡ } "

➽──────────────❥

Chapter One: Don't Stare

➽──────────────❥

The moonlight drifted over the window of the abandoned shed, causing Leon to shield his bloodshot eyes. He regained his balance before shaking his fatigued muscles. Leon turned his back to the wall and flopped down to the floor with an exhausted grunt. How long has this mission taken? The hours felt like days to him, dragging out his sleep. Of course, the mission was not and will not ever be that easy. Nothing ever was for Leon Kennedy. After running into a cult with a crazed leader; Leon had seen it all. With every move, he made they were three steps behind him making the mission even more stressful but he had no choice but to push through. Throughout the unfortunate events, Leon managed to find an abandoned shed to catch his breath.

Heart racing.

Blood pumping.

Head throbbing.

He wanted to recover what was left of his strength but knew there was no time. Leon forced himself back to his aching feet, adjusted his equipment, and headed for the door. That's when he noticed the flames surrounding the outside of the shed. How could Leon not notice the flames before? Did the villagers track him down and decide to burn down the shed with him still inside? His heart raced with adrenaline as he reached out for the door handle and felt his fingertips burn. His teeth clenched as he forced himself to cover his scream of agony. 'God damn it!' If he could not open the door with his hand he had no other choice but to kick it down.

With a swift but hard kick to the door, it flew off its hinges. Leon covered his mouth with his arm as he pushed through the flames. His eyes adjusted but something was wrong. The flames he had through around the shed were now roaring over an R.P.D. vehicle. He stood there for a moment completely confused and turned his direction to what seemed to be Raccoon City. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the groans filled the air. Leon looked down at his hands and noticed the R.P.D. logo across his uniform. 'Oh god, no...'

How? And why?

Leon ran his fingers through his hair as his mind raced with questions. A loud intense groan echoed from the alley to his left. His whole body tensed as the groan grew louder by the second. He clenched his handgun as he walked into the dark alleyway. There was a child hunched over a woman's body, what looked to be the child's mother. This child was in danger, but the mother was already dead. Leon reached for the child's shoulder and his heart stopped. Inside the child's mouth were the intestines of the woman on the floor in front of them.

This was hell on earth.

No other choice but to take this zombie down even if it was a child. Leon's hand lifted his handgun and the zombie rose to its feet. Snarling at Leon as the intestines fell from its disgusting blood-stained mouth. The eyes of a monster staring him down to be its next meal. Its body twitched as Leon steps back as it tried to move closer until it took its opportunity to lung at him.

BANG

Ice fell from the freezer to its dispenser which caused Leon to shoot up from the couch. The more ice that had tumbled down; made Leon flinch at the loud noise. His heart pounded against his chest which made him clench into his sweat-covered shirt to calm down his harsh breathing. The background noise of the news buzzed through Leon's ears as his awareness adjusted to the living room. He must have dozed off while watching the TV. His hands covered his face as he groaned, and he wipes the sweat off his brow.

His phone began to buzz on the coffee table, and he couldn't help but groan. He glanced up at the clock on the phone and saw 4:35 pm on the dot. A few missed calls from Ashley Graham; he would hear them later and text messages from Kevin Ryman. If Leon's eyes could roll into his skull this would be the opportunity to do so. Kevin Ryman was also a fellow R.P.D. Officer as well as a survivor of Raccoon City. Plus, he was a good friend of Leon's before the incident in Raccoon City, but as fate would have it Kevin somehow managed to find Leon. It was never a dull moment with Kevin which Leon greatly appreciated but he was still a pain in the ass sometimes.

Leon scrolled through the text messages in his inbox, ignoring the repeated and unnecessary ones. Another text message chimes in but this time it was from Ashley asking if he was going to come down to the bar later tonight. A loud sigh slipped through his lips, realizing he forgot she had even asked him to hang out tonight. Leon hasn't seen Ashley in a few months, and he would seem like an asshole if he blew her off; groans continue. His fingernail tapped the screen of his phone impatiently as he tried to figure out this situation.

Why a bar of all places? Leon wasn't the type to attend bars regularly, he cannot dance, handle people trying to dance with him or handle drunk idiots. The whole situation made Leon feel completely uncomfortable. On one hand, it would be great to get out of the house for a bit, however, when Ashley gets drunk, she gets flirty. Something Leon hated dealing with because he has turned her down plenty of times, but Ashley is persistent. He opens a new text message to reply to Ashley's message, telling her after a shower he will be there.

Nothing was more relaxing than a shower, Leon shut the door to the bathroom and disrobed. The water was hot but relaxed his muscles from his nightmare. Sleeping was something Leon loathed to do and would rather not have dreams at all. It would save him the headache. Leon stayed still under the water until his mind was clear about what had happened.

After a few minutes, Leon was out of the shower and off to the bedroom to pick out his clothes for tonight. He opened his closet and pushed aside shirts on the hangers, running his hand again all too familiar dark grey compression shirt. His hand pushes the shirt aside to continue to look for something decent to wear. There was a knock on the door and Leon's hand instinctively reached for a gun at his side, realizing he only stood in a towel. He clenched his hand into a fist and shook off the reflex.

He finally put some clothes on before heading towards the front door. With a deep breath, he opened the door to see Kevin standing there with a grin.

"Took you long enough, dude. I thought I was going to die of old age out here." Kevin joked.

"Why are you here?" Leon asked as he used the towel to dry off his hair.

"Well, you didn't answer my text messages, so I decided to see if you were still alive. Can't be too careful." He boasted.

"Right."

Kevin went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, "You going out tonight? Did Ashley invite you out again? Where did she pick this time?"

"Ashley wants me to go see her at a bar. I'm not into it but she wants to see me." Leon sighed as he threw the towel into a hamper.

"Need me to be there? Cause the last time she got so drunk she tried to grab your di-"

"Kevin!"

Kevin pulls out water from the fridge, "What? It's true though. I've seen her frisky little mitts. I'll be there for your support. It's a good thing I came by. Lucky you."

Leon grabbed the remote to turn off the TV and shook his head. Kevin was right though. Leon has a great friendship with Ashley but again she is over so persistent. "Fine, you can come with me. But you can't blame me if she gets mad that you are there."

"Got it." Kevin chuckles a bit. "Wait what bar does she want you to go to anyways?"

"Some bar named..." Leon looks down at his text messages. "The Rusty...Spoon...?"

"Aye! Perfect I have a friend playing there tonight." Kevin clapped his hands and laughed. "Perfect timing."

"What friend?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Old friend. She is part of a band that does covers or original music. Lead singer. Pretty face." Kevin made a clicking sound and winked. "Just a tip. Don't. Stare."

"What? Don't stare at what?" Leon squinted his eyes confused.

"Trust me, don't do it." Kevin threw his bottle in the trash. "If you want to make the show at the bar we should leave now."

"You didn't answer the question-"

Kevin grabbed the keys off the counter and threw them at Leon. "Come on, we're losing daylight!"

{ ♡ }

After a long car ride, Leon and Kevin finally found The Rusty Spoon Bar. Leon turned off the car and opened the driver-side door. Kevin slammed the passenger door and stretched out his arms with a yawn. He took a deep breath before walking down the parking lot with Kevin, the place looked decent from the outside. Leon squinted as he stared at the neon sign, Kevin tapped his shoulder and they both headed toward the door. The music was already pulsing through the door and Leon's head began to pound on impulse. Leon opened the door and was greeted with a blinding array of neon lights. His arm rose to shield his eyes as he grunted before Kevin stepped in front of him. This wasn't going to be the best night in the world, but Leon had to deal with it.

The bar was bigger than Leon had thought it would be, with a large dance floor and a luxury bar that could seat plenty. Now Leon felt out of place and Kevin only made it worse by being flirtatious with anything with a skirt. He scratched the back of his head with an awkward grunt.

"Leon~!" Ashley squealed from the other side of the bar. She got up from her seat to greet Leon with a hug. Ashley wore a plaid skirt with a V-neck blouse and Leon noticed the persistence again. "And Kevin..."

"Glad to see you too." Kevin makes a clicking sound.

Ashley holds a polite smile on her face, but Leon knew she was boiling. "I'm glad you made it, Leon. I thought you weren't going to show."

"We got lost. Kevin said he knew where this place was, but we got screwed up with directions. Plus, he wanted to see his friend perform and she's in the band playing here." Leon scratched his head. "Have they played yet?"

"No, it's just been random music so far. Maybe soon." Ashley shrugged her shoulders.

"Sweet. I hope she plays my favorite song tonight." Kevin giddily smiled.

"And that song would be?" Ashley crossed her arms.

"She does an amazing Evanescence cover; they are to die for." Kevin sighs with a grin. "She has such a great."

"Sounds very interesting..." Ashley rolled her eyes and turned her attention toward Leon. "Soooo, how have you been doing? Good, I hope."

"Eh, I've been all right. Vacation time isn't what I'm used to, y'know? I feel restless that's all." Leon shrugged his shoulders. "And yourself?"

"I've been busy with college and such. Nothing too fancy to report. Just a boring life." Ashley flirted. "We should hang out more when you have the chance. I hate having to meet up months later."

"Yeah..." So. Persistent.

Leon sat down at the bar between Ashley and Kevin while they ordered drinks. He declined Ashley's offer from ordering beer because he knows he had to drive back home and make sure Kevin doesn't pass out later. The bartender looked at him weirdly when he ordered a Coke, but Leon didn't mind. As time went by the music seemed to get louder and louder in Leon's eardrums, making his temples pulse. His fingers rubbed against his forehead.

"You okay?" Ashley asked.

Leon smiled at her and drank his soda. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just kind of loud in here. Don't worry about it."

"Do you want to step outside to get some fresh air? I'll come with you." Ashley asked as she placed her hand on his.

Kevin peeked over Ashley's shoulder to see what she was doing. "Aye, come on! The band is about to start. We gotta head to the front."

"Leon isn't feeling good."

Leon shook his head, "I'll be all right. Kevin really wants me to see his friend perform."

"But you aren't feeling-'' Ashley tried to persist.

"Let's go."

Kevin motioned for Leon and Ashley to get out of their seats. They both followed Kevin through the crowd of people on the dance floor. The music began to slow down as they reached the front. It wasn't a small stage; it was enough for whoever to move around freely. Slowly the band equipment was being assembled on stage and Kevin hummed under his breath. Ashley wasn't the happiest to be in the front, but she wasn't leaving any time soon.

The last piece of equipment was set down and that's when she showed up. A plump curvy woman in a leather jacket with a flattering skirt and tank top hugged her body. Her long platinum blond hair pushed to one side of her shoulder, exposing her skull earrings. Makeup that fit her style and probably her personality as well, Leon guessed. Although something was off when she walked. Every step she had taken was followed by a slight limp. Until she finally turned her body toward the neon lights that's when Leon noticed why he was told not to stare. Her left coat arm was flat which only meant she was missing her left arm. Leon's heart pumped against his chest as his eye contact drifted to her right leg, down to past her knee was a prosthetic.

Kevin hit Leon in the arm, "Don't stare too hard. It isn't polite."

"You could have warned me," Leon whispered.

"Technically I did. I said not to stare back at your place, remember?" Kevin raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Who is she...?"

"Her name is Rose Maria Ramos but she prefers Rose. She'll deck you if you say, Maria. She is a songwriter, singer, and sweetheart. I've known her for a long time." Kevin crossed his arms with a smile. "A very long time."

The band members began to take their positions on stage while Rose adjusted her microphone. She noticed Kevin right away as he waved his hand, gave him a quick wink and blew him a kiss in return. Kevin clenched his chest with a sigh and laughed at himself. Leon rolled his eyes at him but cracked a smile at his attempts to swoon her.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Ashley asked.

"Who? Rose? She is too young for me. I'm in my mid-30s. I'm not THAT confident to have such a catch like her. She's a great friend to have though." Kevin sighs with a smile.

"How did she lose her arm and leg?" Ashley whispered.

"Not my place to say. That's her business, Y'know?" Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't let what happened to her stop her from what she wants to do."

"That's good for her," Ashley looked back towards Rose, "She's pretty, I guess..."

"Yeah..." Leon said under his breath.

Leon couldn't take his eyes off her.

The dance floor lights began to dim slowly and suddenly all instruments boomed. Guitar along with bass and followed by a confident drum pace. Rose moved her hips to the beat as the instruments lasted for a few more seconds. Her fingers wrap around the microphone and with a smile as she pulls it from its stand. Everyone in the crowd jumped up and cheered along with the band.

"I tried to kill the pain. But only brought more." A small backup vocal chimes in with 'So much more. "I lay dying and I'm pouring. Crimson regret and betrayal."

They held up their hands while enjoying the music. Leon watched Rose as she continued to sing, her expressions matching the tone of the song.

"I'm dying, praying. Bleeding and screaming."

Leon's body tensed up.

"Am I too lost to be saved? Am I too lost?" Rose tapped her heel along with the intense beat of the tempo. "My God, my tourniquet! Return to me salvation! My God, my tourniquet Return to me salvation!"

Her eyes were scanning the room as she sang but landed on Leon. "Do you remember me?"

"Lost for so long..."

His heart pounded.

"Will you be on the other side?"

His mouth felt dry.

"Or will you forget me?"

Leon froze for a moment; the lyrics made a chill run down his spine. The music continued until the repeated chorus, but Leon wasn't paying attention. His mind was stuck on those lyrics making his whole body shake. He turned around to push himself out of the crowd and away from the intense pounding in his head. It felt as if time was moving at a slow pace as Leon tried to get out of the crowd. Bodies were illuminated in the neon flashing light and undefined faces only getting blurred. It was too intense for him to handle now. All he wanted was fresh air to catch his breath. He grabbed the door handle but felt someone grab his shoulder.

"Leon? What's the matter?" Kevin asked concerned.

"I need some air." He sighed while he pushed open the front door.

Both step outside and Leon sits down on a bench near the wall. He sat down with a loud sigh before rubbing his face. Kevin took a seat next to him, watching him with a frown.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be taken away from your friend's performance." Leon grumbles under his breath. "I look like a dick."

"Don't worry about it. I needed a smoke break anyway. Plus, Rose will understand." Kevin pulled a cigarette from his pocket and flicked his lighter to light the tip.

"Horrible habit."

"Shaddap!" Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Where is Ashley?" Leon mumbled.

"Baby Spice? She noticed you left but I told her I was going to check on you." Kevin inhaled and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I hate this." Leon groaned again.

Kevin shook his head and blew his smoke away from Leon. "How bad was it this time?"

"I had a nightmare before you came to my house. I was back on a mission where I had to save Ashley, but it was different. One moment I was in a shed, it was on fire and the next I was back in Raccoon City. I was forced to watch a child that was now a zombie, eating its former mother. It lunged at me, and I had to shoot it." Leon scratched his head. "I can't shake it off."

"That's nuts. I'm sorry you have to go through that." Kevin flicked the ashes off the cigarette. "When I was in the middle of Raccoon City it was unbelievable. No one could have imagined that shit coming out. Fucking awful."

"Where were you again when it started?" Leon asked.

"Ironically a bar. We thought some crazy guy walked in and before we knew it, he bit down on the throat of a male server. It was crazy. All of us that survived still shivered at the image." Kevin inhaled more smoke. "That shit haunts me."

"When Rose was singing there were a few lyrics that hit me. It made me feel exposed." Leon leaned back against the wall.

"Exposed?"

"I don't know how to describe it. Her eyes were looking into mine, but it felt like she could see through me. It sounds stupid. I don't know why it shook me up so badly." He sighed.

Kevin nudged Leon's shoulder. "Was it like her undressing you with her eyes?"

Leon scowled. "No."

"Joking aside though, I understand what you are saying. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go out to a bar." Kevin put out his cigarette on the bottom of his boot. "Next time maybe pizza and a relaxing movie at home. Not at some bar that doesn't have all that great service."

"Yeah. Next time I'll do that." Leon smiled to himself.

"However, you do need to be around people more. It's not good to be isolated all the time."

"I will..."

Kevin stayed with Leon to get him to relax more. Not realizing how much time has passed by them notice part of the band members walking out to load up their van. They both watched as one of the band members struggled with fitting the equipment evenly. Kevin shook his head with a chuckle and walked over to help the poor guys out. Leon smiled to himself as he watched them all struggle now. Out of the corner of his eye out walked Rose. She walked over to Kevin and hugged him. They both hugged for a moment, but Leon looked away with a grunt.

The door opened again but this time Ashley walked out. She smiled at Leon as she handed him a water bottle. "Here you go."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I ruined the night. I needed some fresh air." Leon explained.

"Don't apologize. I totally get it. Bars aren't your thing. Now I know." She smiled. "I hope you are okay now."

"Yeah..."

"Aye, both of you! Get your asses over here and be friendly!" Kevin called out.

Leon got off the bench and walked over with Ashley toward Kevin. His heart pounded against his chest as he stood next to Rose.

"You are so loud Kevin..." Ashley groaned.

"It's in my nature." Kevin raised his brow. "All right, this is Leon and Ashley. This is Rose. There now you all have met."

"Pleasure to meet you both." Rose smiled and looked at Leon. "Oh, you're the one that left during the first song. Kevin told me you got light-headed. I'm sorry. Are you alright now?"

"I...I'm alright. Thanks for asking." Leon smiled but couldn't help but blush. "I did like your music."

"Thank you. Maybe I can sing for you more sometime." Rose winked at him.

Ashley's inner green monster was booming, she didn't speak but you could feel the tension. Kevin chuckled at her for a moment and turned to Rose.

"You said you needed a ride? How'd you get here if the band car was full?" Kevin asked.

"Taxi." Rose rolled her eyes. "Can you give me a lift?"

"Well, my car is back at Leon's. It's up to Leon because it's his car. Cause I can give you a lift when we get back to his place." Kevin smirked at Leon. "So?"

Leon's heart raced. "Of course."

{ ♡ }

Leon and Kevin said their goodbyes to a cranky Ashley before heading out. Kevin took the back seat to catch up on a nap while Rose sat in the front seat. They have been driving for a while in awkward silence and Leon was squirming a bit in his seat. Kevin's snoring was slowly getting louder as the minutes went by and Rose only laughed. Rose leaned her hand over to play with the radio and turned up the volume enough to drown out Kevin.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to touch your radio, but it's needed right now. Y'know, to drown out the bear in the backseat." She giggled. "I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all." Leon mentally sighed, and finally, she spoke. "So how do you know Kevin?"

Rose looked down at her hand for a moment and then back up at the side window. Her facial expression was hard to read but she only turned back to smile at him.

"Long story," Rose said while playing with her left arm coat. "How do you know him?"

"We've been friends for maybe 10 years now?" Leon chuckled. "It sometimes feels longer than that."

"You both seem like great friends. Kevin talks very highly of you." She sighed with a smile. "You have two years more on me. I've only known him for maybe 8 years."

"Be glad it isn't longer," Leon chuckled softly. "So how long have you been in a band? Must be exciting."

"I've been with the band for a few years now, but we aren't trying to become famous. We do it because we love it. Sometimes we do it for charity which is awesome. But the last band I was in only cared about fame and fortune. So, I left." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "So, what about you? What do you do?"

"Uh..." Leon paused. "Things..."

"Aww come on. Are you a police officer? Military? You have that feeling about you." Rose gently tapped his shoulder. "Secret agent?"

Leon froze for a moment until she began to laugh. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. We just met and I don't want to pry."

"Thank you." Leon relaxed his hands on the steering wheel. "But I don't think you are prying. You're just curious."

"Of course. You seemed to be an interesting person. Kevin talks about you a lot. I'm glad I could finally meet you."

"What did he say about me? Should I be concerned?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. He talks about how courageous you are and how strong you are. That your heart is full of gold. Whenever he talked about you it always made him smile." Rose's hand gently touched Leon's leg. "I hope one day I can get to know you more."

His heart began to race from her touch, and he bit his lip discreetly. Rose's hand stayed on Leon's leg as he shifted his weight a bit, heart pounding faster. A loud yawn came from the back seats and was followed by a groan. Kevin wiped his eyes and sat up in his seat. Rose moves her hand off Leon's thigh and she smiled at him as she put her finger over her lips with a wink.

They reached Leon's house after another few moments of Kevin cracking jokes and stories.

Leon wished Kevin stayed asleep a little while longer.

Leon parked the car in the driveway and opened his door. He moved around the car to open Rose's door, and she took his hand and stepped out with a smile. Kevin got out of the back seat and stretched his arms.

"All right, ready to go Rose?" Kevin asked as he pulled out his keys.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She laughed. "I'm going to say goodnight to Leon really quick."

"I'll warm up the car. Night Leon." Kelvin waves before getting into his car.

Leon scratched the back of his head and looked at Rose. "You get home safe, okay?"

"You owe me."

"Pardon?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, let's see. You walked out of my performance and didn't come back."

Leon's face grew hot with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to..."

Rose walked closer toward Leon with a smirk and pulled a pen out of her jacket pocket. She grabbed his hand and wrote down her number on his palm. Leon's cheeks flustered as she smiled at him before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I hope to hear from you soon."

➽──────────────❥

[ "Help Me" Index] | [ Next Part ]

[thunderbone]

English

A drawing of an idea I discarded...

This idea had been inspired by the comic We3 and Lilo & Stitch. My idea was about a cat that was taken from its owners by the government, who had kidnapped other animals to raise them as military weapons. This kitten ended up becoming anthropomorphic and suffered various atrocities, from cruel tests and experiments, in addition to training hard to become the perfect weapon.

As the kitten was the one that demonstrated the greatest progress, the other animals were discarded as if they were mere objects. And so the cat became the military weapon that the government wanted, where he started to carry out several secret assassinations on behalf of the government, eliminating targets that in theory were very dangerous people who are considered a threat.

However, when the cat discovers that one of his targets is innocent, he begins to have an existential crisis about the goodness and value of life. Following this epiphany, he thinks he can no longer kill. Because of this, he abandons his mission and runs away, but is pursued by the government who wants to eliminate him, as he is living proof of the crimes the government committed.

At one point, the cat ended up losing his memory and was found by an 8-year-old girl. The little girl lives with her parents who are divorcing, where she does not accept their divorce, blaming her father for it. The focus of the idea was the friendship between the little girl and the cat, where in addition to being persecuted by the government, he tries to gradually recover his memory.

This idea was intended to make a strong criticism against tests and experiments on animals, which are forced to be subjected to these barbaric acts, whether to create perfumes, shampoos or something like that. This drawing I made is kind of a ref sheet of the protagonist of this idea that I discarded a while ago, dunno. This drawing took a lot of work to make the sketches, but it was worth trying.

To draw the cat's outfit, I was inspired by Leon S. Kennedy's clothes from Resident Evil 2. However, to draw the sheath (a "pocket" to store his knife), I was inspired by Claire Redfield's sheath from Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

Detail: The cat's claws are made of razors, that is, the government guys simply ripped out his claws to replace them with fake claws (implying that he also killed his targets with these claws and teeth).

Português (Brasil)

Um desenho de uma ideia que descartei.

Essa ideia havia sido inspirada na HQ We3 e no filme Lilo & Stitch. A minha ideia era sobre um gato que foi tirado de seus donos pelo governo, que havia sequestrado outros animais para criá-los como armas militares. Esse gatinho acabou se tornando antropomórfico e sofreu várias barbaridades, desde a testes e experimentos cruéis, além de treinar arduamente para se tornar a arma perfeita.

Como o gatinho foi o que demonstrou maior avanço, os outros animais foram descartados como se fossem meros objetos. E assim o gato se tornou a arma militar que o governo queria, onde ele passou a realizar vários assassinatos secretos em nome do governo, eliminando alvos que na teoria eram pessoas muito perigosas que são considerados ameaça.

Porém, quando o gato descobre que um de seus alvos é inocente, ele começa a ter uma crise existencial sobre a bondade e o valor da vida. Seguindo essa epifania, ele acha que não pode mais matar. Por causa disso, ele abandona sua missão e foge, mas é perseguido pelo governo que quer eliminá-lo, já que ele é a prova viva dos crimes que o governo cometeu.

Em um dado momento, o gato acabou perdendo a memória e é encontrado por uma garotinha de 8 anos. A garotinha vive com seus pais que estão se divorciando, onde ela não aceita o divórcio deles, no qual culpa o pai dela por isso. O foco da ideia era a amizade entre a garotinha e o gato, onde além de ser perseguido pelo governo, ele tenta recuperar sua memória aos poucos.

Essa ideia tinha como proposta fazer uma crítica foda contra testes e experimentos aos animais, que são forçados a serem submetidos a essas barbaridades, seja pra criar perfumes, shampoos ou algo do tipo. Esse desenho que fiz é meio que uma ref sheet do protagonista dessa ideia que descartei um tempo atrás, sei lá. Esse desenho deu muito trabalho pra fazer os esboços, mas valeu a pena tentar.

Pra desenhar a roupa do gato, eu havia me inspirado nas roupas do Leon S. Kennedy do Resident Evil 2. Porém, pra desenhar a bainha (um "bolso" pra guardar sua faca), eu havia me inspirado na bainha de Claire Redfield de Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

Detalhe: As garras do gato são feitas de navalha, ou seja, os caras do governo simplesmente arrancaram as garras dele para substituí-las por garras falsas (dando a entender que ele também matava seus alvos com essas garras e seus dentes).

[well-lets-go-write]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, Sherry Birkin Additional Tags: Romance, Action/Adventure, Action & Romance, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Series: Part 1 of Resident Evil: AU The lost files Summary:

This story begins in a familiar place, one we've all come to know and love, but a place soon ripped from existence. Beginning in the fall of 1998 we follow a young woman named Lorraine and her account's of what happened during the outbreak of Raccoon City.

  (Not a perfect summery but I'd say still worth a look)

[sir-walton-goggins]

Fanfic Masterpost (updated)

My ao3 account: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlocallygrowngay/works

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All That Matters (4312 words) Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character(s), Arthur Morgan/Original Character(s)

Summary: When Micah told Arthur the O'Driscolls proposed a parlay, he already knew this was a trap, and so did his wife Kris. When he didn't show up to camp with Dutch and Micah, Kris knew something had gone wrong, so she goes out looking for him.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/757643525081939968/all-that-matters?source=share

Of Thorns and Roses (1897 words) Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Reader Summary: A nice evening together gets rudely interrupted and things go south when a drunk patron begins harassing you. Arthur won't let anyone disrespect you, ever, and gets into a fight.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/755836559480242176/of-thorns-and-roses?source=share

At Your Mercy (2390 words)

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Reader Summary: Arthur and you have some fun in your private saloon room. You decide to take the reins and Arthur lets you.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/752837318128320512/at-your-mercy?source=share

A Quiet Time (1479 words) Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Reader, Arthur Morgan/Female Reader Summary: Arthur has been waiting all day to get his hands on you. You retreat to his tent with only one instruction: be as quiet as possible.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/749758637735624704/a-quiet-time?source=share

Pearl in Unworthy Hands (3268 words)

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Molly O'Shea/Reader, Molly O' Shea/female reader

Summary: Sick and tired of seeing Molly being mistreated by Dutch, reader decides to take matters into her own hands, much to Dutch's dismay.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/748757864280129537/pearl-in-unworthy-hands?source=share

Kiss of Purple, Blue and Green (2361 words)

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Reader, Arthur Morgan/Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: After a drunken night together, Arthur sees a love bite on your neck and mistakens it for a bruise. He turns on his fellow gang members to find the culprit, before you have the time to explain the truth to him.

read it on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yourlocallygrowngay/746477956960026624/kiss-of-purple-blue-and-green?source=share

The Master of Unlocking (my heart) (10622 words)

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Jill Valentine/Reader

Summary: You and Jill are coworkers and best friends. Since she came back from the Spencer Mansion, Jill changed. She isn't sleeping, or eating, and she stopped showing up at work. You're worried about her and want to help her with her investigation to take down Umbrella. To thank you for your help, Jill prepares a little something.

Evil Angel (2751 words)

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy & Reader, Leon S. Kennedy/The Merchant

Summary: Reader attacks Leon while controlled by Saddler. Stricken by guilt, she runs away. She's found by Leon, who comforts her and gives her the strength to continue.

Lipstick Stains (3322 words)

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Rating: Mature (+18)

Relationships: Ada Wong/Reader

Summary: You and your girlfriend Ada are going to attend a charity gala for the organization she's currently working for. While you get ready, you both get a bit… distracted.

Fiery Red (1703 words)

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Ada Wong/Reader

Characters: Ada Wong, Reader

Summary: Your girlfriend Ada comes home from yet another secret mission in Raccoon City. You take care of her and help her unwind, you enjoy some time together after weeks apart. A very fluffy and partly suggestive one-shot.

[drenix004]

𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 ━━━━ 𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐒. 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐃𝐘

𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒍︙❝Leon never believed in the tale of soul mates, not until he met the woman who is now his wife… now, they were a lethal couple completing secret missions after what happened in Raccoon City.❞

❛We know each other so well that even when we improvise we get things right.❜

warnings: mention of alcohol, drugs, death, obsession, among others, if you are not comfortable, don't read it !

rating: 18+

pairings: Leon S. Kennedy x female Oc

¡English is not my first language, so there may be mistakes, don’t hesitate to correct me.!

======== • ✠ • ========

𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋

"Soul mates will always find a way to find each other again, whether in life or in death."

A LEON S. KENNEDY FANFICTION.

======== • ✠ • ========

-You see that woman over there who is capable of anything? Well… she's my beloved wife.

-Women… How did I end up married to you?

-She often touches my wife and those things will be your last worry.

-Leon S. Kennedy

======== • ✠ • ========

======== • ✠ • ========

-Leon, we are a dangerous pair for the simple fact that we can communicate without having to use words.

-If I'm going to die, make it quick. I don't want to hear my grandmother's scolding for taking too long to cross the tunnel.

-Hunnigan… you look great without the glasses, give me your number and let's get a drink, my husband can wait at home.

-Nefer Kennedy

======== • ✠ • ========

Chapters: Soul, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

➔ 𝑪𝑶𝑷𝒀𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 ミcopyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Any copying, translation and/or distribution of this story is prohibited. Respect my work.

➔ 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑹ミlos "Resident Evil" characters are not authored by me, all rights belong to Capcom, except for my own characters.

➔ 𝑨𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ミthis story will be based on the Resident Evil universe, but some characters from the original series will not appear, some will be mentioned, and others will have their story slightly changed to make everything fit.

The images, gifs or any audiovisual media are not of my authorship, credits to their respective owners.

There may be spelling mistakes! I apologize in advance, however I accept corrections in a good way, as well as constructive and respectful criticism.

[aredsunrise]

You're Also The Priority

Notes : It is an Leon S Kennedy x original female character (Charlie Miller) fic. 22 y/o oc. I was bored and wanted to try something. It will probably be almost all about the RE4, so sorry. It is also my first fic and English is not my first language. Also sorry if there is any mistakes! (Part 2 is already on ao3 btw)

Summary : It all started when Ashley and her old friend, Charlie, returned from their school. Before they could understand what was happening, a tough man had kidnap them and took them to Spain. Separate from Ashley, when they arrived in an old, weird village, Charlie made it her mission to find her and get away as soon as possible. This is how an agent, who was supposedly there to rescue her and Ashley, found her.

CW : Angst? - Slow Burn - Canon-Typical Violence - Fluff? - Bad Writing - Mutual Pining - Flirting

Words : 634

Part one

Charlie couldn't remember how she got stuck into a dark chamber. The last memory she had was of her and her friend, Ashley, in a car. Now, all she could do was to freak out because of the lack of light and the room where she was. Charlie felt the old and perforated sheets under her body and the air be muffled by the dust she saw rising when she jumped up from the sofa she was resting on.

"Fuck..." was all she could whisper.

She glanced around, searching for her friend in the dark, using the light of small candles placed in a few places, but nothing. There were only the footsteps of mice that were breaking the silence. She stood up and walked towards the wall, her arms in front of her. When she touched it, she walked to the side of the room to find a door. Her whole body was shaking. A mixture of fear and chills. She was cold - It was cold. Charlie repeatedly bumped into wooden boxes and dusty furniture. Above, there were small candlesticks, papers and even books.

She finally found a door, after a few minutes, and frantically moved the handle. Lock.

"Fuck!" she whispers more loudly this time. She took a few steps towards one of the cabinets to find a key or anything, as long as she could open this stupid door when footsteps were heard from the other side. Charlie backed up until she found a vanity and hid under it. It was filled with cobwebs and covered with a long sheet when footsteps came in front the door. She hoped that whoever this is, they will think she is gone and let the door open. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt it ringing in her ears as she could see five people come in with the light on the other side of the room. The first who entered was a man with a long purple cape that was hidden a part of his face and some kind of black dress with a stick with some gross alive stuff on it. The rest seems to be four women with long brown or white or beige dresses and a bag that covered their heads, thanks to ropes rolled up and attached to their necks.

"What the fuck?"

"Don't be scared, my child, come out of your hiding place." Said the man in a tone that was meant to be reassuring.

Charlie didn't move. This man was certainly crazy. And because of that, he only waved his hand and the four others began to search the room.

"Shit."

When they finally found her, Charlie kicked one of the four in the face while another grabbed her legs and held them down. The young girl tried to get rid of the grip of one of them on her body.

"Do not resist my child. You will receive the gift of our lord and everything will be better."

Charlie tried to struggle even harder when she saw one of the women approach a seringue near her neck while another held her head to the side, pressing her cheek to the dirty floor. The needle pierced her skin, causing her pain. She could feel the liquid entering and nausea came to her. The four women's gripp grew weaker as the man's voice sounded for the last time:

"Now sleep, my child. Your task is not over."

Taking a sudden fatigue, her eyelids closed directly thereafter. Her body had risen up and back onto the couch. She realized she was going to have to muster up all her courage because the next time someone will visit, she was going to run away from this shit. She will find Ashley and get out of this crazy place.

[bigyikes97]

RE4:Remake Leon passes the "would you feel safe if locked together in a room?" challenge with flying colors!

No more skirt peeking! No more sexist commentary! Supportive and affirming! Doesn't treat Ashley like cargo just because she's being rescued! Trusts and acknowledges when she helps him! Treats her like a person!! Checks on her when she's hurt and seems like he genuinely cares--even comforts her when she's distressed!! And all without the scummy pervert-for-laughs upskirt and "ballistics" gags of the original!! RE4 Remake Leon is stoic and wry, but trustworthy, caring, and dependable, going above and beyond to really care for her and make sure she's safe, and as they spend more time together, he begins to tip his hand and show just how much he cares for her. I think this makes him immensely likeable and a stand-out character in the world of gaming and media in general.

Like. The original game had its moments, but it also rewarded you for being a creep and made creepy comments on the helpless body of a terrified young woman. I would NOT feel comfortable locked in a room with a brick house of a spec ops guy who thought looking up the skirts of vulnerable girls was funny. I would feel like the law and a paycheck were the only things protecting me, and it would eat away at my soul to be constantly degraded. It's not a flattering thing to be upskirted. It is a deep devaluation and an insult, and people not used to worrying that rejecting an advance might land them in mortal danger might not ever understand the depth of dehumanizing heart-sickness it evokes.

SO. SO many props to the remake for kicking that entire dynamic out the window!!! I don't just tolerate the new Leon, I actually like him and care about his character development. I would feel safe if I had to hang out with him. He comes across as a person who really cares, who is honorable without question, and who would never even consider feeling entitled to a peek up his companion's skirt simply because he's strong and she's helpless. I would never have known that was even a mechanic of the original game from playing the remake! Leon is a stand-out in the world of male video game protagonists. His unquestioned devotion to Ashley as a person, not just a fetch-quest, is really valuable, and as a long-time female gamer, it was a very healing experience to see it portrayed in an AAA game. See! It CAN be different! 'Boys will be boys' nothing! Sometimes the 'boys' are Leon S Kennedy, who would only respect, protect, and acknowledge the women around him as fully human. Yes king!!!

[winksasleeplesseye]

castrum (five)

SUMMARY: Amara splits from the familiar duo in favor of the mysterious scientist, Luis, in search of answers, and another way too familiar face tags along as they go their separate ways.

WORD COUNT: 3k

WARNNGS: none/freeballing it no edits

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“Got tired of your knight in shining armor?” Luis questioned, noticing Amara coming up the path. A lighter skated between his fingertips, nifty sleight of hand on display. 

There was a symbol on its side that Amara couldn’t make out, but that had to be something to ask him about later.

“Someone has to keep you honest, don’t they?” She smirked, almost playfully bumping into Luis’ side. “Besides, I think one princess to one knight is a better ratio.”

“Does that make me your knight in shining armor?” A roguish grin spread across his face.  

“Not by a longshot, hotshot.” 

Luis playfully rolled his eyes, “You’re cheerful for someone that just learned a parasite is inside them.” 

“Oh, I’m pissed. I’m just keeping the emotions to a minimum—better for the heart,” she winked. “Wouldn’t you know that, doc?” 

“Biologist, not a doctor. But if you’re ever needing a big, strong man to cry on when you decide to let those emotions out...” He wiggled his eyebrows as he gestured to himself. “I’m yours.” 

She laughed, Luis had a knack for that it seemed. It certainly made her feel light amongst the gloominess, the sheer horror of the situation. “Tempting offer, Mr. Serra.” 

With a brief gesture towards the way they came, she said, “I’m well accounted for.” 

That shut him right up. The crushing and cracking of rocks beneath their feet is the most apparent sign of life. A part of her assumed she’d said the wrong thing but his attention turned elsewhere, ahead on the path at a fast approaching rock formation that towered over them a tad. 

It was less what his attention was on, but rather who. “Hey, got a smoke?”

“I do. The kind you like.” 

Fucking shit. It’s a Raccoon City reunion, isn’t it? 

Amara wasn’t exactly keen on seeing the elusive woman in red again but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Luis would be working with her. But, it did.  

She fully intends to call him an asshole, but her brain short circuited in the pursuit of her curiosity in this conversation. Her eyes ping pong between the both as the conversation goes on. It’s coded talk, no doubt but Ada mentions something called The Amber. No Amber, no protection. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or a biologist) to figure that Luis and Ada’s partnership is borne out of a necessity to escape. On Luis’ part. 

So, at least one part of what he told her back at the lab was accurate.

There is something going around this village and whatever the Amber is might explain it. 

Ada sticks around, the duo now becoming a trio. Amara waved off Luis’ kind gesture of pulling her up as they followed after the woman in red.

“Appreciate—the—gesture,” she said between each push up to the next rock.

Climbing wasn’t wholly unfamiliar to her. 

Except the rocks were usually fake and colored, the academy and the occasional rock climb with Jill (on the off chance they got to see each other) came in handy. 

“You’re awfully quiet. And pale,” Luis piped up. She can’t see his face but somehow she knew he’d be smirking. “Gears must be turning.” 

Amara always kind of sucked lately with her resting face. It was a miracle she’d been able to keep a straight face with Leon. Mostly.

Amara rolled her eyes. “I’m computing. And yes, I’m pale…a parasite is snacking on me like a Happy Meal.” 

Luis chuckles. It’s funny but it’s the truth. 

“You know, I read about you. In…what was it? Raccoon City?” That stops her in her tracks. If Ada has any reaction she doesn’t see it. 

Amara envied that about the woman but her poker face now could rival hers.

“So, I wasn’t dreaming of that red and white logo on your lighter. And how exactly did you end up working for a corporation that leveled an entire city?” There’s a curiosity to her tone but there’s also a biting, harsh undertone to them. 

How anyone could willingly work for such a company befuddled her especially after knowing the truth. 

“Being a wiz kid has its benefits,” He shrugged, like it was nothing. “Anyways, we’re not talking about me. You’re the one carrying G antibodies.” 

They pushed through the thicket of branches and bushes, Amara desperately tried to ignore the creepy, prickling feeling that went up and down her body from potential bugs that crawled on her. 

“Unwillingly, in case you weren’t aware.”

“Doesn’t make it any less fascinating,” he noted. 

“Where are we going, exactly?”

Breaking through the dense forest, they come to a cliff and a path lined down the side of it. “See that?” Luis points across the lake. 

“Holy shit, that’s amazing.”

Amara always assumed that castles were just the thing of dreams, meant to be seen in photographs but never stepped foot in. Though this one held a more elusive quality to it, the fog and gothic atmosphere sent shivers down her spine just looking at it from here. 

Amara already knew the plan, sort of. “I assume what you need to get is in there.”

“More like…under there but sure.”

“If you two are done, time’s a wasting,” Ada spoke coolly. 

“I won’t turn into one of them, will I?” 

“I won’t let that happen, I promise.” Leon wholeheartedly believed that too. Well, he hoped that he could prevent that. 

Hope was in short supply for him for the past six years. 

After learning their rescue had lost contact with Hunnigan, that told him all he needed to know. These people were adamant not to let any of them leave. He had to put his trust in Luis, a former Umbrella researcher, mind you, to provide something to remove the parasites. 

And then there’s Amara. She tagged along despite Leon’s protests, as if he could have ever convinced her otherwise not to go with him. Still, all he could at the very least count on is that she’d be able to stay safe. That doesn’t stop him from feeling this stupid burning, scalding jealousy at Luis. Leon had to always stay sharp and focused on the mission, which now translated to making him seem like a bit of a prick by the outside viewpoint. Amara’s viewpoint. 

But he’d pushed the thoughts aside, personal problems would have to wait. 

“How exactly do you know these passageways?” Amara posed the question as water sloshed beneath her boots, the air was damp and heavy which gave way to moss and plants growing from every crevice. She barely wanted to have any part of her touch the walls but Luis traversed through them like nothing. 

Ada’s boots hit the ground in a uniform rhythm. How was a mystery to Amara. 

His voice echoes off the walls. “Would it surprise you to know I was born here?

“At this rate, nothing surprises me.” And it was the truth, Amara had lived long enough around manmade horrors and god knows what else, it’s kind of tough to genuinely have shock written all over her face in the moments after learning new information. “Guess home is really where the heart is then, huh?” 

“If you say so.”

“You know, you still didn’t answer my question.”

“Which is?”

“Why are you helping us?” 

“Because it makes me feel better, that answer your question?” 

The training after Raccoon City had taught her many things, some of it seemed useless but now, she recalled the training on being what she would dub a human lie detector. People had many small, subtle cues that to an untrained eye, you’d never catch but even from Amara’s vantage point, she could see Luis slightly tense up, his eyes a little more shifty than usual and not to mention the slight fall in his vocal tone. She wouldn’t exactly say he’s lying, but he’s certainly not telling her everything. 

Of course, she wasn’t going to call him on it. She’d play the part, take the answer as it was and simply voice her temporary resolve. “For now.” 

A slight breeze hit against her face as they kept moving, a telltale sign that the surface wasn’t too far off. Thank god, the sooner they’d get out of this cave, the better. They picked a hell of a season to take them hostage.

“So, what’s in this castle that you need to get?”

“A man can’t possibly give up all the surprises, can he?”

“I’d like to not end up on the business end of a knight’s sword before I’ve had a chance to take this parasite out so yes, you can spoil the surprise,” she deadpanned. 

“A lady that’s straight to the point, not even a little fun? Not sure if I hate that or like that about you,” he commented, he’d never let up, would he? “We need to get inside the castle to get under it.”

“I’m gonna guess they’re not expecting us?” Amara learned it better to always assume the more likely situation was the most truthful observation. Better to be more aware of it. 

He had a mischievous sparkle in his eye. “On the contrary, actually.” 

“Are you shitting me?”

Leon wasn’t exactly sure how many more hits he could take. 

He’d already been nursing a few bruises (no thanks to the big asshole now burning in that farm), not to mention a parasite had been playing patty cake with his organs, the occasional blood filled saliva needing to be spit out too. Despite it all, he felt fine. He wasn’t sure if that scared him more than anything he’d even encountered so far. No wonder it was so easy for the plaga to take hold of these people.

It was unsuspecting at first, the influence trickling its way in until it was too late. He’d only gotten a taste of it at the church, that pain in his head. A male voice lording over his thoughts and robbing him of control of them. 

Most days, Leon felt he didn’t have control over anything. But the one thing he could rely on, count on, were his own thoughts and now those weren’t safe from…whoever that guy is.

“Fire’s gonna attract a lot of attention, we need to keep moving,” Leon announced, facing straight ahead to the nearest path. Ashley briefly voiced her agreement as Leon already started for it, he noticed a minute shiver from her.  

Almost burning to death in the remnants of the barn had made him forget how offensively freezing it was out here. September is in full swing after all. 

He’d actually grown accustomed to the oppressive atmosphere since losing his jacket (goddamn, he was gonna miss that thing). But he also put it down to training for all types of terrain, something which Ashley lacked. 

“You alright?” Leon questioned, not too pushy about it. 

Ashley wore a small, closed-mouth smile, “I’m fine.”

Something in her response was already abundantly clear that she was keeping a brave face but another part of Leon could tell that she could handle herself well enough. But still, he held no judgment for the obvious fear she had…in that way she reminded him of himself in Raccoon City. 

It was terrifying. 

He thought about the terror he’d left to the terror he’d been dropped in here as they crossed over a drawbridge. 

The same castle he saw from earlier now loomed before them, cast in the glow of torches along the pathway and hung up against the gray, craggly limestone walls. 

This place had been standing strong for a while but definitely could use some repairs. 

A mechanism screeched as they stepped off the drawbridge. 

“What’s going on now?” 

And just like everything else that occurred so far, Leon’s answer was the same, “I don’t know.” 

The wood of the drawbridge rose above their eye levels. But for one brief shining moment, he had some optimism. “At least we won’t be followed.” And as if the man could sense it, Leon’s comms device began ringing briefly. Luis’ voice came into his ear, still sounding just about as sly as ever. 

“Hola, Luis here. You guys still around?”

Leon fought violently not to roll his eyes but he remembered he had to play nice, “Well, I wanted to go home, but Ashley just had to see this castle first.” 

There’s a palpable silence, not filled by Luis’ seemingly quick wit. Leon is pretty sure he for once took the man by surprise. He wasn’t a complete hardass. Only some of his sarcasm and optimism had been taken from him during training. 

“Perfect, because I have a present I want to give you…”

“Medicine to slow the progression of your…problem.” 

“Where do we go?”

Ada and Amara scavenged the room as Luis spoke to Leon. The latter learned a lot in the past few tense moments and moments after.

Ada is infected, too. 

If it weren’t already obvious, Luis has his own objectives. Pertaining to Leon, Ashley, and herself (a noble pursuit).

Leon is now just full of jokes, bite, and sarcasm. Everyone’s got their coping mechanisms. 

Just about the only thing that convinces Amara that Ada is a human being is that she is now alongside the rest of them in a desperate pursuit of removing the parasite. The tendrils of the parasite had made itself known more frequently as its growth pushed on Amara’s ribs, making her spit out blood at an alarming rate. 

Strangely enough, a sense of concern comes over her. Sure, this same woman is the one who essentially brought her here for…whatever reason but that doesn’t automatically shut off her emotions. 

Amara tucks some extra ammo into one of the pouches on her belt and follows Ada and Luis further into the castle. They had to find a suppressant to hold off the parasite until they could fully get rid of them (means by which Luis never elaborated on).

She feels itchy and out of sorts, her skin and clothes all half a size too small and her vision occasionally blurry. No doubt from the bombardment back at the cabin, those villagers packed a punch when they got too close. She can’t fucking wait till this thing was out of her system. 

For the second time in her almost three decades of living, Amara experienced what could be described as death anxiety. It wasn’t exactly pleasant either, considering their origin. It was bad enough the first time and now she had yet another race against time to remove the parasite.

“Should be just up ahead,” Luis noted, eyes peering up towards one of the towers protruding from the path. Upon entering, there was a spiraling staircase that almost seemed neverending as it descended below them. “Everything we need will be in my lab.” 

Amara can only offer a brief closed-mouth smile, but a heat radiates with each set of stairs they descend so much so that she begins to pick up the scent of something…burning. But she wanted to be wrong.  “Do you smell smoke?”

A part of her wanted it to be the plaga migrating to her olfactory nerve, but the bright orange hue of flames spread across every surface. Inside Luis’ lab. 

Her eyes went wide and heart pounded against her chest at the confirmation of the smell. This cult wasn’t playing around, especially when it came to a traitor like Luis. He looked stricken as he descended to the last step, his face almost as white as a ghost. “No, no, no, no,” he repeated to himself. “We can’t let the medicine be destroyed–” 

Not even a moment passes before Luis tries to recklessly run right into the fire, both Amara and Ada attempt to hold him back. “Luis, it’s not worth it!” 

Those words seem to rally him even more as he breaks free of both their grasp, running straight through the fire. Both women share a brief look with one another, a silent agreement to go after the man. For very different reasons. 

The sound of explosions inside the lab get them moving. The last thing she’d need is Luis to die, she’d been through enough of that. 

“Damn it!” Amara briefly threw her hands up.

Her legs carry her behind Ada through an almost set path contained within the fire, the heat is unbearable and smoke fills her lungs quickly. As if the heaving coughs from the parasite wasn’t enough, now she had to add smoke into the mix. Great. 

It didn’t take long to get to Luis, both women hefting him up on their shoulders as dry coughs overtake him from inhaling all the smoke. They throw him outside the door, he pathetically falls to his knees. 

“Can you at least deliver the Amber first before trying to kill yourself?”

In a tone Amara had never heard from the roguish man, he says, “It’s all gone…burnt to nothing.”

She couldn’t remember hearing someone so defeated in a while. Defeat wasn’t exactly something many liked to accept, and in her line of work, that almost was like a dirty word. 

“Why is this so important to you?” Ada questions as she stands above him, no care for the burning lab behind them. It’s just about the first time Amara had heard even a slight shift in the tone of her voice. 

There’s a fierceness to his answer. “There are things I must set right!” A brief inhale of breath. “But that is impossible now. It’s all over—and I can’t help them anymore.” 

“Pull yourself together, Luis.” 

“Make more. You know how. Just do it.” 

Ada, at her core, is logical. She doesn’t base a lot on her emotions and it’s a clear read on Amara’s end. A person she hadn’t thought of in a while crossed her mind, Monet. She never went headfirst with emotions, she was as cut and dried as they came while Amara was the complete opposite in ways she didn’t like to admit. 

Being the same way as Ada only came to her by practice, not by nature. 

But, anyone could see that Luis was desperate to fix his mistakes, desperate to do something right by Leon, Ashley, and herself.

“She’s right. You did it before, you can do it again,” she piped up. Those are words she never thought would come out her mouth. 

Her mind is made up as they walk away from the flames engulfing the lab. A temporary alliance borne of necessity. A race against a biological clock. After this, Amara wants double pay and a damn vacation. 

[rachelkaser]

RE4R Separate Ways Review: Backwards and in high heels

Resident Evil 4 Remake now has its own version of Ada Wong's Separate Ways DLC. Let's take a look at how the remake refreshes Ada's story, giving her room to shine separate from Leon -- and how it occasionally lets her down as a protagonist.

Within moments of Resident Evil 4 Remake (RE4R) launching -- hell, within moments of it being announced -- gamers began speculating about whether the remake would incorporate Separate Ways. A legendary DLC to a legendary game, the original Separate Ways is a retelling of RE4's story that shows what spy Ada Wong was up to while she flitted in and out of Leon's story.

When RE4R debuted, players discovered that some elements of the story had changed significantly -- the personality and agenda of Ada Wong seemingly among them. In keeping with the tonal shift of the remake, Ada has gone from being flip and flirtatious to calculated and focused. She helps out Leon and Ashley in her own way, but it's very clear her own agenda comes first.

So now that Separate Ways Redux is out, has Ada's part in the RE4R story changed? It turns out that, while the new version of Separate Ways has changed structurally, and expanded the roles of several characters, Ada's role remains the same. She may look and sound different, but the new Ada Wong is still doing everything Leon Kennedy does -- backwards and in high heels.

Side note: This review will include story spoilers -- nothing radical, but there are some things in Separate Ways Redux that differ from the original. If you want to experience them for yourself, don't read this review.

Separate Ways, Separate Perspectives

If you've never heard the expression before, it was coined by cartoonist Bob Thaves in his comic strip Frank and Ernest. A female filmgoer at a Fred Astaire film festival points out that legendary dancer and film star Astaire was great, but his longtime counterpart Ginger Rogers did everything he did "backwards and in high heels" -- meaning the same feats of athletic prowess but with extra handicaps. In some ways, it feels like RE4R Ada is working with some of the same handicaps.

I had the feeling, while playing the main campaign, that they were "saving" Ada for the inevitable Separate Ways DLC. Her presence in the main campaign feels a bit perfunctory, her performance restrained to the point of being dull. But I hoped that this was setting her up for a doozy of a starring role in the DLC -- after all, Lily Gao is a huge fan of the character and I find it hard to believe she would play this sexy, beguiling agent with such reserve if it weren't for a good reason.

And I was on the money! Ada in Separate Ways Redux is revealed to be juggling a lot of different problems in her own story -- her reticence in the base game is revealed to be because she literally does not have time solve Leon's problems for him. After seeing what she has to go through in her story, her going even slightly out of her way to assist him seems like an act of true kindness on her part given how much it messes with her plans.

Separate Ways Redux makes one big change to address Ada's overall stake in the story: She's also been given a Plaga parasite, meaning that if she doesn't play along with Luis's insistence on finding a cure, she's worse than dead. So not only does Ada have to find a way to appease her employer, the sinister and demanding Wesker, and accomplish her original goal of obtaining the Amber, she also has to contend with a parasite messing with her head while helping Leon, Ashley, and Luis out where she can.

In terms of gameplay, Separate Ways Redux feels like a bouillabaisse of Ada-specific features and upgrades thrown together with locations and setpieces that were cut from the base game. It feels quite a bit more hectic than RE4R, but that's not a bad thing. There's less backtracking and exploration but Ada does have more mobility with her hookshot.

Ada Wong, filling in the story gaps all over again

As with the original, the developers used Separate Ways to explain a few plot holes from the original -- who rang the church bell with such fortuitous timing, for example? Separate Ways Redux does the same thing -- most notably, it explains what happened to Saddler's mysterious Left Hand, Pesanta, who vanished from the main game while the Right Hand, Verdugo, tussled with Leon. Here it's Ada's recurring pursuer enemy who attempts to stymie her quest.

There are two big changes in Separate Ways Redux that I wholeheartedly endorse: First, the incorporation of the hookshot into melee combat, which gives Ada a different toolkit than Leon. Second, the fact that Ada doesn't simply refight Leon's boss monsters. Yes, she encounters her own Gigante (which destroys the farm section Leon had earlier passed through) but that boss fight is different enough from Leon's that it doesn't feel as much like a rehash.

Separate Ways feels as though it's attempting to simultaneously bridge the story gaps in the base RE4R game and pay homage to the original. Some of the iconic scenes from the original game that were cut from the remake are in Separate Ways, including the laser hallway, U-3's boss fight, and the gondola sniping section. This makes it feel tonally closer to the original game -- which admittedly means that it also feels a bit out-of-step with the remake.

Separate Ways is also a bit more of a straightforward experience than the base game. There's none of RE4R's backtracking or exploration, and Ada's journey follows three-act structure more closely than Leon's: Village, Castle, Island. She fights her own boss at the close of each -- the second Gigante that was cut from the village; Pesanta's U-3 form in the castle; and new character Martinico on the island before the final showdown with Saddler's minions while Leon deals with the man himself.

The Martinico boss fight was my favorite thing about the DLC, full stop. Ada has thus far shown nothing stronger than annoyance at anything thrown her way, but in the final hours of the DLC, she encounters a monster hidden on a part of the island Leon never visits that's functionally immortal: Martinico. Ada very understandably nopes the heck out of there, with Martinico in hot pursuit.

In any other DLC, this would having me thinking: "Oh, look, here's the boss that got cut from the main game, tossed to the DLC protagonist like meal scraps." But instead this boss fight sets up one of the best (and most ridiculous) homages I've seen in a game, that put an enormous grin on my face. I won't spoil it for those who wish to see it, but suffice to say it feels like an affectionate call-out to the media that inspired the original RE4 in the best way.

"Complete local saturation."

One difference between the original Separate Ways and the remake which changes the dynamic is the physical presence of a certain character: Albert Wesker, who here deigns to make an appearance both in the village and on the island. He appears because Ada's not accomplishing the task of retrieving the Amber in a satisfactory time frame, and he makes it very clear he's willing to hurt her should she not deliver. Even before this point, it's implied he could see through Ada's retinal display in addition to keeping tabs on her via satellite (like in the original).

At first, I found this change a bit confusing -- firstly, because none of the remakes thus far (excepting the first one from 2002) have really alluded to or used Wesker, so he feels less connected to the new continuity. Secondly, it begs the question: Why doesn't Wesker accomplish the mission himself, rather than allocate it to a secret agent of dubious loyalty who keeps getting sidetracked?

But the more I played, the more I began to understand and like this change. Sure, I still don't think it makes sense for Wesker to trust Ada with a task she's proven she can't really be trusted with, but at least he seems to be doing his own thing. Destroying cult leaders would be beneath him, after all. Also, I love how quietly sinister this Wesker is. Ditching the early 00s grimdark scenery chewing of RE5, this redone Wesker is more of a walking implied threat -- he doesn't raise his voice because you'd already better be listening to him closely.

Now Ada's rather frosty demeanor and reluctance to help -- even her insistence that Leon should abandon Ashley and get out of dodge -- makes so much more sense than it did in the base game. Of course she can only do so much to assist Leon; Wesker is literally breathing down her neck the entire time she's on the mission. While I'm sure Ada can handle herself, she also likely doesn't want to make Leon's life harder . . . goodness knows she's already done enough of that.

Just a cover story

That being said, there's still one way in which Separate Ways Redux kind of fails to do what I want it to do: It doesn't necessarily give Ada room to be a fully realized character. While I'm pleased that Lily Gao has a chance to play a cooler, more emotive Ada, I don't feel like I knew any more about her as a person at the end of the DLC than I did at the beginning. Yes, I know it's in keeping with Ada's character to be a little mysterious, but that's hard to swing when she's the protagonist.

One of the hallmarks of the remake continuity is that it tries to give more layers to everyone's personalities. Characters like Leon and Claire are more confused and frightened in RE2R than they were in the original. Jill is more exhausted and angry in RE3R and Luis is solemn and repentant in this game. Even Ada was more than just a one-note vamp in RE2R, showing signs of being in way over her head on this precarious mission.

But RE4R Ada just doesn't have the same level of vulnerability, not even with her player. There's one moment in Separate Ways, when she passes the charred body of the Spanish cop in the village, when she laments that she never wanted to encounter that smell again, and I sat forward in excitement. Finally, a hint of Ada's internal struggles and her possibly tragic past! But sadly, that was the only time that happened in the game.

I was hoping to perhaps learn more about how she felt about Leon, but I'm no more clear on it than Leon is by the end of Separate Ways. As best I can tell, Ada's raison d'etre has changed from, "Aw, I can't abandon this cute, oblivious lummox to these parasitized Spaniards. He wouldn't last five minutes without me watching his back" to "I'm gonna do my best to complete this increasingly complicated mission while trying to both help Leon and keep him from figuring out what I'm up to . . . and because he wouldn't last five minutes without me watching his back."

Final Verdict

Separate Ways Redux is a fantastic homage to the original DLC and builds out the story of Resident Evil 4's Remake in a fun way. Ada Wong's journey follows a slightly different (and altogether more stylish) path than Leon's, and gives our favorite spy a chance to show her own Ganado-slaying skills.

That said, I do wish Ada had a chance to be more of a character in her own story. It's a minor complaint given the overall quality of the DLC, but it definitely leaves Ada feeling like she's once again been robbed of the chance to lead her dance. She's kind of stuck doing what Leon does . . . backwards and in high heels.

[ao3feed-adaleon]

New

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/PzKIMYo by Vanillabeanlatte Ada is attached to her daughter and vice-versa. Words: 2488, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong, Original Female Character(s), Original Child Character(s) Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Ada Wong Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Love, Vulnerability, Parenthood, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Established Relationship, Sweet read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/PzKIMYo

[staticnight]

// about. me.

my name is James or Jamie, I'll also answer to static/night. I'll post mostly fanfic (x readers and the like), but you might get some completely original works too. I write fics that cater to primarily male audiences, and I'll probably do some gender-neutral ones too.

I'm super into Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and other horror games. Give me recommendations if you'd like.

// what. i. write.

I will write fluff, maybe some angst, and spicier scenes. I am okay with writing smut, but I haven't written enough to be any good at it.

people I will write include:

resident evil Leon S Kennedy . Chris Redfield . Piers Nivans . Ethan Winters . Karl Heisenberg

DC Bruce Wayne / Batman . Dick Grayson / Nightwing

supernatural Sam Winchester . Dean Winchester . Castiel

castlevania Alucard / Adrian Tepes . Trevor Belmont

marvel Bucky Barnes / Winter Solider . Steve Rogers / Captain America . Peter Parker / Spiderman

heathers Jason Dean

american psycho Patrick Bateman.

hannibal Hannibal Lecter . Will Graham

// if you want a character outside of these, send in a request! I'm more likely to do the above characters than not, but I'm not limited to only this list! // if you want a female character, you'll also need to send in a request. I'm more inclined to do male characters due to being into men.