#with plaga leon i always want to think he's mostly good

[citrine-elephant]

cool, so just watched a video of headless wasps. and the thing is, their heads are completely detached except for one tiny string of nerves.

so you are now cursed with knowledge. and i will curse you with plaga leon putting his own head back on in the creepiest fuckin way imaginable.

bunch a lil leggies popping out of his neckn't and slorpin back into his body <3

[sapphire-weapon]

No but that's actually a really good question to think about, would actually choose duty over love? and then he just stands there to choose between saving Ashley from getting stabbed to death maybe or sherry from I don't know getting thrown to space, what do you think the choice will be?

Oh, I think that he would choose duty every time. If he had to choose between saving the lives of everyone on earth or saving the life of the one person he loved most, he would choose the many over the one every single time. Of course, that decision's probably easier for him to make than most other people because the people that he loves most would not only approve of his decision but would probably be standing there like IF YOU CHOOSE ME I SWEAR TO FUCK I WILL KILL YOU. YOU BETTER LET ME DIE, ASSHOLE.

The question of Ashley vs Sherry in the scenario my brain proposed, who is duty and who is love?

Because, like. This question only makes sense in the context of the events of RE4. If this scenario takes place, say, post-RE6, then it's not a question of love or duty anymore. It's Sophie's Choice. Neither of those two fall under the purview of Leon being responsible for their well-being or safety anymore; the only connection between them at this point is love.

And, in all honesty, he'd probably choose to save Sherry -- and Ashley would also want him to make that decision.

But if the choice was: go back in time and prevent their abduction by the CIA and actually have a chance to give Sherry a normal childhood and be a father to her (which means that Ashley will get infected and turn)

OR

let things play out as they always have and force Sherry into captivity and condemn her to a lifetime of violence (but Ashley will survive and get to live her life to its fullest)

who is he more duty-bound to save? whose freedom does he grant? which of the two gets to live out her life as a mostly normal person?

I would probably say that he'd still choose for things to remain the way that they always were, just because of all of the collateral damage that would happen if Ashley was to be sent back home full plaga, but.

It's a tricky one.

[non4ry]

new re4make trailer how we feeling?

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS. I haven’t posted about it because I know I have some friends who are avoiding re4make spoilers completely SO. I am going to give this a ‼️‼️ HUGE RE4MAKE SPOILER WARNING ‼️‼️

I have the most thoughts about ashley so i’m gonna save those for later in the post because there’s a lot to unpack with her, but other than her, I am kinda interested in this new direction they’re taking with Luis? Him being alive and filling in a partner role is super cool and the minecart scene was so silly (speaking of that I am so so glad they’re showcasing the humor aspects of re4 that were so iconic in the original while also removing the tasteless humor and still keeping the serious tone of the game!! looks like really good writing so far) A lot of the voice acting and general gameplay quality seems a lot better in this trailer than the older ones. All of the character designs for the villains look amazing, the game actually feels like it’ll be kinda scary! I do genuinely love the horror elements of Resident Evil (even though the only actually scary one is 7 imo), so I’m glad to see them touching up on that a bit.

One of my only qualms is that I feel as though Luis is replacing Ashley in some aspects/parts? But it also seems like they’re taking a much more serious and almost Unwilling Antagonist route with her. I’m not too entirely sure how I feel about it yet, my other two characters I’m thinking about with this direction being re5 jill (a storyline I hated) and re7 mia winters (a character I loved) my opinion will definitely be influenced by the actual game itself, however I support women’s wrongs and I think girls should be allowed to do whatever they want.

I really hope that this direction with her doesn’t turn into unnecessary torture though, I am really nervous about that already seeing as how they are considerably more violent with her than they were in og. (This trailer showed her being Choked out instead of just grabbed, the scene of her tied up, all of the sacrifice scenes, etc.. I just hope they’re kind to her.)

On another hand though I do really love how this Plagas Infection opens up for taking her more seriously, acknowledging her as a person who is Actually struggling with this horrible thing that’s happening to her (because we barely saw it in the original, she was just a punching bag for the villains) I also hope they don’t abuse this over and over again to get her out of the story like they did with having her conveniently be kidnapped several times, I want to see her more, I want to see her fight and live and exist, overcome her fears (which given a lot of her dialogue with leon seems to be a direction they’re taking! She seems to be nervous about him at first but is slowly warming up to him and his kindness and reassurance, which is so much more realistic and human and I think does her a lot more justice than her immediate crush on him in OG.)

Speaking of Leon I am so excited to his character direction and his interactions with Ashley feel so much sweeter and genuine, as kind and gentle as he was to her in the OG game I always found myself a bit off put but how . Inhuman their dialogue interactions were, when we’re supposed to be seeing them build this bond and trust to each other and escape the hell they’re in. I am so so glad that they kept Leon’s gentle nature with her instead of going out their way to make him this emo asshole that everyone characterizes him as.

To summarize I am generally really excited, there are definitely some things I would have done differently (mostly with ashley’s design) but I am excited to see the vision they have in mind for the game and it’s characters. I would love to hear your thoughts as well because honestly this trailer gave us a Lot of new stuff and I haven’t even touched on the gameinformer gameplay yet either .

[re-diesirae]

11. Leon

Leon had been half asleep and ready to get up at the slight sign of danger; his years of service had taught him to be always on his toes, and so he had become a very light sleeper. He was used to being awakened by random unpleasant surprises. However, the way he had woken this time made him lose a few years of life-spawn.

There was a loud crack, followed by a soft female groan, and then the cave began shaking like an earthquake. His eyes snapped open, and he was immediately on his fit with his handgun in hand. His eyes quickly scanned the cave. Claire was gone, the cavern entrance's cover laid broken on the ground, and he could hear gunshots coming from outside.

"Shit…" he mumbled, getting his gun and making his way outside.

He expected the usual groans and screams that usually came with Plagas, but instead, the roar he heard chilled his blood.

"Leon S. Kennedy! Don't you dare come out now!" he heard Claire shout at him.

Don't come out? Was she insane? He wasn't going to let her fight whatever that thing was on her own.

Leon reached the entrance and saw the youngest Redfield standing a few meters away from him. Her dark hair was messy and filled with leaves and branches that had gotten stuck after she had rolled on the ground. She had her rifle aimed in his direction, and her expression was a mix of horror and shock.

"Leon, that thing is right over you. If you come out to know, it won't be good..." Claire shouted again, "I'll lure it away! As soon as the path is clear, you can come to give me a hand!"

Like hell, he would. Claire had moved further away, and he waited a couple of minutes for Claire's sign, but as it never came, he gripped his handguns and ran out of the cave as fast he could. What he saw outside was worse than what he'd imagined. The creature wasn't the same they had seen earlier. It was bigger, uglier, and even more threatening. It moved like a human-spider crawling over the surface; just like the others they'd seen so far, the creatures had no features in its face except an over-sized mouth filled with fangs. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of red that he recognized as Claire, running right to him.

"Leon! Thank god, you're outside safely," she gasped.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he examined her under the dim moonlight. She didn't look hurt, and That sent a wave of relief over him.

"I'm fine, but we don't have time for that, Mr. agent. We have an issue here..."

"I noticed...a new friend?"

"Sure...and the bastard isn't leaving me alone without a fight. Want to be a nice friend and help me?"

" What are friends for?"

The fight against the thing was hard, they wasted a lot of ammo, and the beast didn't seem to flinch. The silence of the night got broken with the sound of gunshots, roars, and screams. The creature was strong, and after a few minutes of the fruitless fight, Leon knew that they had little chances to defeat it. They were wasting themselves and precious ammo.

"Shit…" he groaned, putting more ammo in his gun, "This one is no joke. "

"Any plan, Mr. Agent?" Claire gasped, covering him.

Run, that was all he could think at the time. With some luck, they could use the trees and the terrain to their advantage and lose it. Maybe they'd stumble with some of the locals, and that would distract the horrendous thing. It was a high bet, but it was better than wasting ammo and having the thing kill them eventually.

"Let's run. Save the ammo unless it is necessary…"

Claire nodded at him, and both turned around and began running as fast as they could through the woods. They could hear the groans and steps of the monster chasing them, but either of them wanted to stop and see how far it was. Their race came to an abrupt end when they found themselves in front of a high cliff. The only way across was an old hanging bridge that wagged too much for his comfort.

Fuck comfort, Leon thought as he and Claire ran through. The damn thing kept moving and moving, making it hard to advance without tripping and falling into certain death. Either they were caught and killed, or they fell off the cliff and died. None of the options were appealing.

The creature had already caught with them; it seemed to hesitate with the bridge, but Leon knew that its hesitation wouldn't last for long.

"We are almost there, Claire. Hurry."

The woman didn't answer. She was almost breathless when they reached the end of the bridge. The monster was half of it, and without hesitation, Leon pulled out his knife and cut off the ropes. The effect was instantaneous, the bridge broke down under the weight of its horrible body, and they saw, with some relief, how it vanished into the darkness of the cliff.

Well, at least that worked.

Leon checked himself. His wounds were numerous, but all of them were mostly scratches and not life-threatening. He was relieved to see that Claire was in a similar condition. Her clothes had gotten torn in many parts during the struggle. He saw blood on them and several injuries, but, like his, they seemed to be small scratches. However, there was something that still worried Leon. Claire's concussion was already an issue, and he didn't know if the new hits had added more damage.

"Claire…"

She didn't answer as she was catching up her breath with her look completely distant.

"Claire, talk to me," Leon insisted. He needed to evaluate her condition, and talking was one of the simplest ways.

"I'm all right," she replied in a shaky voice that made him frown, "Just a little shocked and breathless. Give me a minute…"

Leon nodded. Her reply seemed reasonable. While Claire was recovering, he decided to scout around for a bit. It was too dark to make out anything, but they needed to find a safe spot for the rest of the night. After that thing's attack, he wasn't in the mood to cross paths with another unfriendly monster. He found a small building a few steps from them that seemed like a storage shack. The door was locked with a chain, but Leon broke them without effort and pushed the door open. The place was small, dusty, and filled with boxes with undistinguishable contents in the darkness. It wasn't pretty nor comfortable, but it looked safe enough, at least until dawn.

The young agent made sure to lock the door before letting himself fall to the cold floor next to Claire; he rested his back against the wall and looked at the redhead on his side. She seemed to be recovering her breath slowly and was busy trying to fix her reddish locks; he could see her shoulders move as she tried to ease the rhythm of her breathing.

"Nice look..." he whispered in a teasing way as he pulled a stick out of the mess of dark locks.

"Haha..." Claire said sarcastically, "I think I lost my hair tie. Just great..."

"I find it nice. You should wear it down more often..."

"You gotta be kidding me..." Claire blurted out. She shook her head and laughed, "We're in a crisis here, and you can still flirt?"

"I am not flirting," Leon chuckled, "Just being honest here..."

Claire shook her hair a little, throwing a bunch of leaves over his lap.

"Don't mock my hair, Mr. Perfect-hair-all-the-time," she snorted while she rubbed her arms, an action that didn't pass unnoticed by his sharp eyes.

Of course, she's cold.

Unlike him, Claire had failed to bring a jacket, and her current outfit wasn't exactly warm. Hughesville had been in the middle of summer, and naturally, Claire had been wearing a casual and fresher attire that didn't suit the cooler weather of their current location.

Claire bent over in a sudden coughing fit, but he could do anything more than rubbing her back in a comforting way.

"Thanks," she said, "I don't know what was that for."

"You're cold…" he commented.

"A little, blame Hughesville for being in summer. I regret leaving my jacket in my office."

"You can have mine then…" he replied, taking off the piece of clothing and putting it over her shoulders.

"You'll be cold now…" she complained, but he noticed the soft hint of gratitude in her voice.

"I'll bear with it."

"You're going to make me feel guilty. At least stay close. We can warm each other."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Don't push it, Kennedy, Chris isn't the only one with a good hook."

Leon laughed. He'd never doubted Claire being a dangerous woman to mess with, but somehow, he felt like teasing Claire was a way to relax, considering their current predicament. Even if she had made herself sound angry, he could feel her body relax by his side.

"Are you okay? You didn't hit your head again when I wasn't looking, did you?"

"I don't think so…" she replied, " Not that hard, at least."

She had laughed at the last statement, but he wasn't weren't dangerous, but if she kept getting hits, that concussion could grow into something worse. Leon felt Claire's head fall on his shoulder, but he was aware that she was still awake.

"Sorry...my headache is killing me. I am starting to feel dizzy again."

"That's fine. You can pay me back with your lap next time."

She laughed, and the sound of her laugh was sort of comforting.

"How long will it take Chris to come? Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my time with you, but I'd rather do this somewhere without B.O.W's and without a killer migraine piercing my skull."

"I have to admit I'd love that, too. We still need to meet up in normal conditions, Claire."

"I am starting to suspect that the meeting will never happen."

"We will make it happen. Maybe we can grab a bite when we are out of here?"

"That sounds splendid…" she chuckled, but he soon heard her laugh die away. "I am sorry, Leon."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"You shouldn't be here. It was me who these people wanted…"

"Don't be stupid. I am glad that I am here with you. That way, I can make sure that you'll make it home."

"Yeah...of course." she said softly, "Barry still owes me that lunch. I just hope it won't be a sandwich."

Leon snorted. He had heard about that inside joke from Claire. Barry and his sandwich references were gold.

"You can get it when we return. Oh, and you should treat me for dinner, too. After all this mess, I might deserve it."

"Sure. I can do that…"

"How about some home cooking? Chris was bragging about your amazing cooking skills, and yet I've never tried it before."

"What's Chris doing bragging about my culinary skills?" she sighed, "Well, fine, I will cook for you, but I warn you, don't expect anything too fancy. I haven't cooked in a while."

Their talk about food made him remember how thin she was. Claire hadn't been fat, to begin with, but something about her appearance now was unsettling. She was a little underweighted, or at least that's what he felt. Maybe she had been skipping meals due to work; he just hoped it wasn't something serious.

"Want to sleep?" he whispered.

"Not yet. I need the adrenaline to go down first. We could talk in the meantime. Of course, unless you want to sleep..."

"Nah, talking doesn't sound bad. I don't usually get friendly chatting during missions, but I can't say it isn't a nice change."

"Then tell me about the misadventures of the great agent Kennedy. I bet you get to save tons on damsels in distress each time. You seem to have experience saving my butt."

"I don't think the title damsel in distress and Claire Redfield go well in the same sentence. You are the one saving my ass all the time."

"Maybe years ago, but I can't beat your experience, so...what was your last mission?"

Leon knew that Claire was probably doing casual chatting by asking about his job. She would always do that and avoid the subject of her misadventures. She probably had her reasons to avoid the topic, but he was as curious as she was about what she had done in the last past years, and he probably wouldn't get a chance to talk to her that openly when they got home and her brother hoarding over her.

"It wasn't anything interesting. Just the usual. After the incidents from two years ago, I've only gotten minor tasks."

"It was a tough thing for you, guys. Chris was in bad shape when he came back, physically and mentally. I imagine you were, too. I heard about what happened in Tall Oaks. We lost many of our people there, and I wished we could have done more, but the organization was in chaos at the time, too."

"That's fine. I think I've gotten over it."

It wasn't entirely true, though. Leon hadn't quite gotten over it. He'd had his mourning period, but that didn't mean that the memories didn't hurt. He had lost more things than he could have ever imagined in one single night.

"I am sorry I made you remember that. I can see it still hurts. "

Leon wondered how Claire could see that. He knew the woman was very sharp, and even when she didn't hit the nail all the time, she was usually never too far from it.

"What about you, miss head of branch?"

"Don't sweat it. I didn't want that job to begin with, but after many circumstances, I decided to accept it."

"Got tired of hunting zombies and mutants?"

"Not quite. I just realized how many glitches TerraSave's structure had. It was nothing that I could fix with the power I had at the time, but I could do it if I accepted the role as head of the branch. Power and ranks make a difference. It was tough at first, convincing the higher-ups and everything, but in the end, they all saw the reason behind it, and I think they were pleased with the results."

"Your promotion was a recent thing, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a little less than a year. My last mission was on an island in South America. Another testing field concocted by Umbrella's remaining lackeys."

Leon remembered hearing something about that. He hadn't read the report, though, but Hunnigan had said something. A group of famous Japanese models had been slaughtered on an island by a viral outbreak and B.O.W's running rampage. He had heard about all the chaos and tragedy it had involved, but Hunnigan never mentioned Claire's name.

"You...were there?"

"Yeah. I got myself in a bad spot and ended up being saved by Parker and the B.S.A.A. Some months after that, I was named head of the NA Branch. I haven't been active in the field since then, but I don't plan to stay like that. As soon as I finish with all the work I've got, I'll be back fieldwork."

He could somehow picture it. Just like Chris, Claire was a person of action and not someone who stayed all day behind a desk signing papers. Leon wondered if it was a family trait and if perhaps their parents had been like that, too.

"It took me a couple of years to see things better. TerraSave needed a change if we wanted the organization to fill the purpose it was created for, helping the people. So far, it wasn't doing such a great job, and it felt a little disappointing. I guess we were all biased and unable to see the breaches we had. It took me a couple of hard hits to come clear with it, and that's how I ended where I am."

"Maybe that is the reason you got targeted," Leon reasoned, "If you were making major changes, some people might have seen you as a threat."

"TerraSave is a salvation organization. We are not a threat to terrorists, like the B.S.A.A or the DSO are. Even with our research, we posed no threat."

"That's enough to them, Claire. Maybe you had something they did not want you to have."

"Maybe? By now, I wouldn't be surprised if we had a traitor on our side. It wouldn't be the first…" she sighed bitterly, "Unfortunately, that is not something I can control. I am not psychic to see what goes into everyone's heads after all, but I've learned my lesson. I won't put my whole trust into people."

Leon was perplexed about that, but he then remembered a report he had read years ago, one concerning Claire and TerraSave. A group of people had gotten abducted during a party and taken to a B.O.W development facility. There had been only three survivors from that incident, among them, Claire. According to the file, the abduction had been orchestrated by a man named Neil Fisher, who was the former head of the NA Branch and Claire's predecessor.

"You wouldn't be referring to the events of Sushestviviane, are you?"

"You got me there. That's why I meant. I can blame it on Neil that I am no longer able to trust people, as Moira likes to point. I cared about him and trusted him with my life, just to get sold to Wesker for a sample of Ouroboros."

Leon caught the bitterness in her words, and he couldn't help but wonder if there had been something more than a mere friendship there, but as he knew Claire, he chose not to ask.

"There are still people you can trust, though."

People like me.

"Yes, I know. Feel proud, Kennedy. You are among the top ones in my list, right next to Chris."

"Do you trust me as much as you trust your brother?"

"Well yeah, who knows if I would be here without you, rookie..."

Claire had suddenly fallen quiet. She seemed to have gotten lost in her thoughts, and unlike Claire, he wasn't that good at reading people, so he had no idea what was going through the woman's mind.

"So...Mr. Agent, what now?"

"Same plan as before. We get to that house, figure out what's going on here, and we leave."

"I don't like being the pessimist here, but what if we find more of my friends there?"

"We can handle it. What's another B.O.W to us? I'll watch your back, and you'll watch mine, that worked pretty well in Raccoon."

"Bet on that. You know I will take a bullet for you."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want that, so you better don't go doing anything crazy, Redfield."

"Goes the same for you."

Leon did not reply. He pulled his mobile from his pocket and began fidgeting with it. Just as Leon expected, the signal was off, which meant he had no means to contact Hunnigan. He managed to pass a small message, but the agent was doubtful if it was clear enough.

"There must be something interfering with the signal."

"Well, guess that shouldn't surprise us. " Claire replied, peeking over his shoulder at the mobile "How's that they didn't take it from you?"

"I guess our terrorist group isn't bright." he replied, pushing the mobile back into his pocket, "You need to rest now."

"Yeah, I'll take that offer…"

Leon felt Claire curl at his side, and it took her a couple of sighs before the woman had fallen deeply asleep. He took a look at her sleeping form and stroked a couple of hair strands from her face. Took what it took, he would bring Claire home safely.

NOTE: if you guys want to come and chat about the fic, or just about CLEON in general. Feel free to drop by the discord and say hi! JOIN SERVER

[l-s-kennedy]

Two Years, Redfield.

(I've uploaded this onto my Watpad: DolceCos. This is the first fic I've finished in a long time. Enjoy!!)

"I'm in love with you..." Chris said, shortly after most of the combined team had exited the room. The only one to hear it, and the one the older Redfield had said it to, was Leon Kennedy; who stood there, files on the new mission in hand and frozen in his tracks. The blond looked at the older BSAA agent with wide eyes. His mind stuck between the urgency of the mission and what Chris Redfield had just said to him. As his mind tried to wrap itself around  the situation, Leons mouth moved on it's own accord.

"Uh... Cool." Leon said, still dumbfounded. But before either of them could add to the conversation, a BSAA agent came back to the room.

"Sirs? Is everything alright?" He questioned. Chris turned to the man and gave a nod.

"Yes, we're on our way now." He said in his 'captain voice'.

They prepared for their mission, and were quickly on a plane headed for Umbrellas most recent facility, where some inside sources had informed the BSAA of some new BOW's. The D.S.O. had been called due to their history with the strains origin, Las Plagas. It's like Spain and New York all over again, Leon thought. He glanced at Chris who wore a serious expression as he went over the layout of the facility, doing his best to remember all the nooks and crannies for when things went south. Operations like this had a reputation for going off script, often horribly so. The two had worked together a few times, the frequency increasing over the years. Missions were the longest interactions they had with each other, they never really talked much in casual settings, and were rarely ever by themselves without Claire or Jill hanging around. in that time Leon had grown fond of doing what he could to get under the older Redfields skin, and had settled with casual flirting... however somewhere in the past two and a half years he'd crossed the line between casual and serious attempts. He'd been watching Chris with earnest intent, and it was such a shame everything he said made him sound like an asshole, he couldn't turn down his sass even if he tried.

The mission went about as well as one would think when infiltrating a giant testing lab crawling with infected test subjects. The casualties never got any easier to deal with, Leon could see how much Chris was struggling with this, he'd tried so hard to get all of his team out, and only about half of them made it. Leon sighed and went up to Chris. 

"Hey, Redfield" He called out to the elder. Chris turned to him, looking like he needed about 3 years of sleep, which didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Kennedy." He replied. Leon sucked on his teeth for a brief moment before giving the man a light pat on the shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself... We did our best" He said. Comforting people wasn't Leon's strength, it always came out dry and awkward. Chris let out a heavy sigh and gave Leon a nod in response.

"Thanks..." he said solemnly his eyes looking slightly wet and pained. Chris walked off with Jill, who had been waiting for him, she patted his back and he gave her a smile. Leon felt his chest tighten slightly, a mix of jealousy and anger rose within him. He swallowed it down and went to the parking garage.

Leon rode his motorcycle back to his apartment, which was small and slightly barren of personal touch, save for a few band posters on the walls and a music system which seemed to be the most used item in the living room, you don't need much when there was always a chance you were going to die within a week or two after the next phone call you received. He sat on his couch quietly, still smelling of sweat, blood, and gunpowder. He couldn't stop thinking of what Chris had said to him before they'd left, which seemed like forever ago, but realistically was only about three days maximum.

"I'm in love with you" Leon repeated in a whisper. He dropped his head into his hands defeatedly. 

"I can't believe I said 'Cool'... I'm an idiot" He sighed heavily. He groaned and leaned back into his couch, the sound of leather sliding on leather was uncomfortable, causing Leon to give another, mostly annoyed groan. After a good 7 minutes of just moping, he stood and headed to the bathroom for a shower, dropping his clothes wherever they wanted to land as he walked. 

As he showered he debated with himself about contacting Chris, he had his number, it was given to him by Claire for emergencies. Was this an emergency? Leaving their short conversation the way it was didn't sit right with Leon, and he could rationalize that it could interfere with their work relationship, which would interfere with their teamwork, which would interfere with their future missions... so, yes? Leon sighed heavily as he dried his hair, glancing at his jeans which peeked through the slightly ajar door. His cellphone was in his left back pocket, Chris' number was the third one in his contacts list, right above Claire, it would be so easy. Yet he hesitated, even as he was picking up his jeans with the towel around his waist. He set the phone down on the bathroom counter with a small grumble. Frustrated with himself, he snatched the phone back up and sent Chris a text.

[Come over] with Leons address right under it. Leon set his phone down and went to his room to get dressed for a night in.

Chris had just arrived home, the cab that took him had barely left his road when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He unlocked his door and looked at the number with curiosity. 

"Not sure I know that one" He muttered to himself as he closed and locked the door behind him. Claire was staying at the office tonight to finish up some of her own work for TerraSave, so Chris had the house to himself. He placed his things on the floor and counter respectively as he opened the text from the unknown number.

[Come over] it read, with an address under it. Chris narrowed his eyes, getting a suspicious feeling. He texted the number back thinking that the best case scenario is that it was spam. Worst case scenario, some other corrupted S.O.B. was targeting him and was trying to lure him to his death in the least efficient way possible. He stood in his kitchen in the dark, waiting for a response. When he got one it read:

[Leon, Claire gave me your number for emergencies.] Chris raised his eyebrows, a small, hazy memory came back to him of Claire mentioning that she'd share his new number with her office and some friends.

"Oh..." Chris said out loud. He took a step further into his kitchen as he began to type a response. 

[On my way.] He spent enough time at his home to change his clothes before getting in his Jeep and leaving once again.

It took Chris a little longer than expected to arrive at the address, having gotten lost and needing to stop for gas on the way. When he finally got there it was almost five in the morning. Chris sat in the parking lot, and leaned back in his seat, exhaustion finally beginning to set in. He sighed heavily, questioning why he even came, whatever Leon needed to say could have been done by a phone call... right? Unless it was a dangerous level of serious, but if that was the case, wouldn't Leon just meet him at the BSAA? It was secure and safe. Chris rubbed his face, getting out of his Jeep and locking it as he walked up the stairs.

"Apartment 4B" He mumbled, looking at the numbers on the door. 4B was the only apartment that was lit up this early in the morning, somehow Chris wasn't surprised whatsoever. He knocked on the door and waited. Things were quiet out here, save for the occasional dog barking in the distance. It was a while before he heard anything from the other side of the door, but he didn't really mind, it was peaceful.

First footsteps, then the unlocking of several locks. Leon opened the door, wearing nothing but black sweatpants. Chris gazed at him, Leon's torso was riddled with old scars, and a large fresh bruise on his side from the latest mission. Looks painful, he thought.

"Do you not have my number saved in your phone?" Leon asked, sounding a bit annoyed. Chris only shrugged apologetically. Leon shook his head and stepped aside to let him in.

"Take your shoes off at the mat Redfield." He warned. Chris did so respectively and walked into the apartment.

"Leon what's going on? Did you find something out?" Chris asked, in a business only tone. Leon sighed a little.

"No, this isn't about BOWs..." He started, causing Chris to look utterly confused. Leon sat on his couch, propping his ankle on his knee as he thought about how to word this.

"Then, what is it?" Chris now sounded concerned. Way to wear your heart on your sleeve Redfeild, Leon thought with a light chuckle.

"About earlier..." Leon began again.

"You have thoughts on the mission?" Chris interjected. Leon waved him off, furrowing his brow.

"No, Chris, this isn't about BOWs, it's not about the mission, it has nothing to do with either of our jobs, it's more personal" he said, sounding annoyed. Chris finally got the message and stopped interrupting.

"Okay..." 

"BEFORE the mission. What you said, RIGHT before we left..." Leon said, blushing very slightly, hoping Chris would catch on, feelings were not Leon's forte. Chris thought, his face turning a light shade of red when he came to the realization of what Leon was getting at.

"Oh...yeah, about that..." Chris started nervously, could he weave a fib to make it seem like it had been a joke? Leon would probably catch the lie. Leon watched Chris, and stood up, walking over. Chris looked at him, feeling like he was just caught with his pants down. Before he could open his mouth to defend himself from any potential berating, Leon placed his hand on Chris' shoulder and gave him a serious look.

"Two years Redfield... I have been flirting with you... for two whole god damned years. You showed no interest, no reciprocation, and just as I figured I'd give up since the BSAA's golden boy CLEARLY wasn't interested... then you drop that bomb on me?" Chris couldn't decide if Leon was angry or relieved. They stared at each other, waiting for someone to say something. 

Chris meant to apologize to Leon, he meant to show Leon that he was ecstatic that their feelings seemed to go both ways, but all that he said was:

"I'm good" loudly. Leon looked confused at first, then began to chuckle as Chris tried to explain what he meant to say, verbally tripping over himself more in the process, which only amused Leon further.

Leon patted Chris' shoulder and stepped closer leaning on the taller man, still chuckling. 

"Chris, I get it. I get it, stop, my bruised ribs make it hurt to laugh." He joked. Chris settled down with an almost pouting expression. Leon patted the man's shoulder and led him to the couch. Chris sat and tried to make himself comfortable as Leon sat a cushion away from him.

"How long?" Leon asked, rubbing the stubble on his chin. Chris raised an eyebrow before giving the other a nod of understanding.

"I realized it in the past year. At first I thought I was going crazy. You and claire are closer, plus you're almost her age. It was kinda weird to think about having a crush on someone who seemed to have a better chance with my sister than me." He said, scratching the back of his head. Leon nodded a little.

"I see... but you came to terms with it, obviously" Leon muttered audibly. Chris nodded in return. Leon hummed and leaned back into the couch.

"So... Did you notice any of my flirting? like... at all?" Leon asked, holding his hand out in front of him for emphasis. Chris looked slightly ashamed.

"No, I thought it was just you being... well, you. Joking around like that seems to be part of your personality." Chris admitted. Leon sighed heavily.

"I really need to work on that" He grumbled to himself, crossing his arms. Leon looked at Chris, who'd gotten distracted by a poster on the wall. He noted the utter exhaustion that seemed to paint the man's features, the bloodshot eyes coupled with the bags under them made for a heavy looking combination. The room was quiet for another good moment before Leon spoke up again.

"You look tired Chris" He pointed out. Chris looked at Leon and gave a small smile paired with another small shrug.

"That's what happens, I should probably head on ho-"

"Spend the night" Leon interrupted. Chris looked at Leon a little surprised. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"What? It's a long drive back to your house, you look like a wreck. You'll be safe, there's a federal agent to protect you" He said with a slight smirk. Chris looked a little surprised, though thought about the tempting offer. 

"You sure? I can make it home..." He started, however, Leon didn't let him finish. He got up and stood in front of Chris.

"Chris, I'm offering. Besides, There'll be a glass of bourbon waiting for you when you get out of the shower, cause you obviously didn't get the chance to yet." He offered his hand to the man and gave what looked like a slightly one sided sincere smile. Chris smiled back and took the hand offered, standing up.

"Thanks Leon." He said warmly. Leon nodded and looked Chris up and down.

"However I don't think I'll have any pajamas that'll fit you properly, so you might have to sleep in your pants" Leon joked. Chris shrugged, more casually this time.

"That's alright, won’t be the first time, won’t be the last." Chris chuckled.

Leon led chris to the bathroom, handing him a clean towel before heading to the kitchen, leaving Chris alone. Chris looked around the bathroom before starting to undress. There wasn't much to the bathroom, decor wise, much like the rest the rest of Leons apartment, but Chris grew curious and began snooping around the medicine cabinet. He found several bottles of differing pain reliever, the makings of a basic first aid kit, and a few travel toiletries. 

"Hm" Chris sounded, feeling slightly disappointed. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but he still felt let down. With a shrug he stripped himself of his slightly worn clothing and got in the shower. As the water warmed up he examined the various bottles sitting on the shelves. Bleach safe shampoo and conditioner, apple body wash, a face wash, and cheap bar soap. Chris hummed slightly, feeling the warmth on his back as he picked up the bottle of shampoo. 

"I knew it, he bleaches his hair" Chris mumbled to himself triumphantly, squirting some of the shampoo into his hand to lather his hair. He chuckled to himself at the thought of Leon S. Kennedy, top agent of the D.S.O. bleaching his hair in his bathroom like a highschooler. Chris laughed a bit harder as he continued his shower, washing the rest of himself with the bar of soap.

Leon riffled through his liquor cabinet pulling out a newly opened bottle of bourbon, and two small glasses. He listened to his shower run, thinking about the last time he'd had company over, which was a good while ago. He took a sip from his glass, wondering if he'd always felt this lonely, or if he just didn't have anything else to compare it to.

"Must be tiring keeping everyone at arm's length Kennedy." he muttered to himself, taking a larger sip this time. 

By the time Chris left she shower, Leon had already poured himself another glass. Chris walked out to the kitchen with the towel still draped around his neck, catching the water that dripped from his hair. 

"Aw, started without me?" he said with a smile. Leon gave him a shrug and pushed Chris' glass towards him as he approached the table. 

"Better catch up Redfield" He said with a light chuckle. Chris grabbed the glass and made a slight toasting motion before sitting and joining the younger man. Leon watched Chris, admiring the muscles the man had gained over the years. Claire had shown him pictures of her and Chris when they were younger, there was definitely a difference in his muscle mass, especially after the Raccoon City incident. If Leon hadn't known Chris was of good character, he would have suspected steroids. He chuckled to himself at the thought, which caused Chris to look at him with a raised brow. Leon shook his head slightly.

"Nothing, just thinking... You used to be much smaller when you were younger, right? Must be one hell of a training routine." Leon commented. Chris smiled.

"One hundred percent hard work, and a lot of good hearty breakfasts." He exclaimed proudly. The two shared a chuckle and continued on with their drinking, Leon slowing down so Chris could catch up. 

The two didn't mean to drink half of the bottle, but between their talking and their loose sense of time due to their tiredness, that's exactly what happened. By the time Chris noticed, leon was leaning against him, regaling him about the time that one of Adam Benford's grand-daughters lost her favorite stuffed animal in the tallest tree on the whitehouse property, causing Leon to climb the tree to retrieve it to stop her from crying. Leon reached for the bottle, readying himself to just take a swig from it, when Chris set his hand surprisingly gingerly on his wrist, easing it away from the bottle.

"Leon, the sun's rising, we've drank almost the whole thing." He pointed out. Leon looked at the bottle on the table, the bourbon illuminated by the light from the sunrise filtering in between his blinds.

"Oh..." Leon said, his tone sounding sad, still not moving his head from where it comfortably rested on Chris' shoulder.

"We need sleep." Chris commented. Leon sighed and groaned as he sat up, only now realizing that Chris' hand hadn't moved his hand from his wrist. He looked at it, examining it carefully, and looked at Chris, who's face held a red tint, though if it was from the alcohol or the physical touch, Leon didn't know. Chris looked at Leon, feeling warm and tingly. He kept his breathing slow and steady as he took what felt like a chance and slid his hand from Leons wrist to his hand, intertwining his fingers with the others. Leon kept his eyes on Chris' face, his grip on Chris' hand tightening to match as he resumed leaning against him. 

"Yeah... we do." He said softly in agreement, though neither of them making an effort to stand. 

They sat there and enjoyed each other's silent company for a while until Chris grunted, apparently waking himself up. Leon laughed a little and stood up.

"Come on Redfield... I have a spare room." He said, beckoning the man to move with him. Leon helped Chris up, leading him by the hand to the room, where he proceeded to guide the man down onto the bed, laying a blanket over him. He gave Chris a smile and turned to head to his own room, just across the hall. He didn't make it too far before Chris' grabbed onto his wrist once more. Leon looked at the man, who was looking at him as if he had something on his mind.

"Yes?" Leon questioned. Chris gave Leon a hesitant look.

"Just so I get this straight... this feeling is mutual. Right?" he asked softly, his voice holding an uncertain tenderness. It seemed that the exhaustion and bourbon had made its way to his brain, making him vulnerable. Precious, Leon thought as he watched Chris. Leon turned back to him and knelt down, so he was eye level with him.

"Yes Chris. I feel the same way about you as you do about me." He said with a small smile. "Now I need to get to sleep, so I need to go now" He stood up again, preparing to walk out, but with a quick but firm tug, he found himself moving in the wrong direction. He fell onto Chris and was quickly trapped under the heavy weight of his biceps. Leon looked at Chris, his eyes wide with surprise at his sudden change in position. Chris' face was hidden in the crook of Leons neck.

"Stay? Please Leon?" He said against Leon's skin. Leon worked his arm out of Chris' grasp and gently patted the man on the back.

"Okay, okay. I can't really go anywhere with you holding me like this anyway." At that, he felt Chris smile softly, the mans stubble lightly scratching against his skin.

Leon adjusted himself under the blanket and once they were comfortable, Chris quickly fell asleep, Leon securely in his arms. He watched the sleeping man, feeling sleep begin to creep up on him as well. He laid his head against Chris and smiled genuinely.

"Two years Redfeild, two long fucking years... I love you too" He said softly as he fell asleep, unaware that Chris wore a soft smile.

[imagineleonkennedy]

Leon Kennedy: Nostalgia

A short story written by @thecarnalscientist-jt for Imagine Leon Kennedy.

Hope you all enjoy.

Nostalgia            

The Kilo Tavern sign stood out among the cobblestone brick walls of other local establishments. It was tattered, a little beaten from the wear of time but the signs green and orange blood neon lighting blinked like fireflies that hadn’t lost their spark. A juicy aroma of meat and salted fries weaved its way through the cool air outside seductively as if to say ‘come and see what I got for you’. Inside the tavern it was an outdoor nostalgic watering hole. Game mounts stared down at customers much like the hunters that took them down. Old Jim Beam collector whiskey bottles hung up above the bar. There were more buzzing neon blue and red lights promoting products such as Corona. Dollar bills were stuck to the ceiling with thumb tacks as some locals looked in awe at the spectacle, as if they were staring directly up at heaven itself. The clattering sound of the pool table balls colliding into each other echoed throughout the building, bouncing off the rustic walls in a pleasant hum. 70s memorabilia littered the walls like a flock of perched bats in a cave. The taps at the front of the bar stood like soldiers at attention waiting for the bartender to choose which liquid gold would caress a patrons lips and tongue with bitter sweet flavor. The tavern had an otherworldly primordial feel during night as if time stopped and characters from different universes could intermingle and chill away from their troubles.

Leon Kennedy felt nervous. He hadn’t been to this old place since he graduated the police academy. He sipped lightly on an amber colored beer, not sure what it was called but it tasted cheap. He vaguely remembered the night he had gotten drunk and ended up being late to his first day at the Raccoon City precinct. Time had flown fast, but as he glanced around at fellow patrons among other nostalgic items, Kilo still had an undying charm. The tavern had barely changed. Leon on the other hand, well, that was a long story.

The bell to the large wooden door clanged, and Leon’s gaze quickly went over to it. He saw her then: wavy brown hair and a big jacket gave Miranda away. She gave a wave, smiling at Leon as he returned the same gesture.

“It’s good to see you!” Miranda said as she approached him. The two exchanged pleasant smiles at each other as Leon got out from his seat and nodded.

“Likewise. You changed your hair. I remember you were blond once upon a time.” He said with a smirk, to which Miranda shook her head and puffed out a laugh.

“Well, between the two of us you still look like a Ken doll.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Leon sighed and laughed.

“You’re the one that drunkenly suggested the two of us go as Barbie and Ken to my college’s dance fundraiser. We were a laughing stock, but it was fun. I miss being adventurous like that.”

“That seems to be something we have in common now.” Leon said, and his playfulness somewhat dipped as he had to step back into reality. His life was completely different compared to when he was at the academy, and back when he was in his first serious relationship with none other than the woman sitting across from him after Leon had pulled out a chair for her and sat back down.

“So, how have you been?” Leon started, trying to keep his composure. Even to this day, Miranda made him nervous. He had fought the undead, and countless B.O.W’s, but she still had an air about her that said not to fuck around. He figured that’s how Miranda got accepted to one of the best medical schools in the country long after the Raccoon City incident.

“Oh pretty good. The hospital I’m working at is always full of sick people, sadly. Nothing new there. I have a couple of kiddos now, do you want to see them?”

“Yeah.” Leon smiled as Miranda beamed with pride as she took out her phone. It took a moment for her to comb through the gallery. Leon stole some quick glances at the kind of pictures Miranda loved to take. Mostly of patients and her, and a couple with the man whom Leon assumed was her husband.

“This one is Corey and the other is Val.” She handed her cell over to Leon and he got a good look at the kids. Both of them couldn’t have been more than six years old. Leon could tell they were definitely Miranda’s given their thick eyebrows and thin lips. Both their smiles were contagious. Leon could imagine they were the kind of kids that could light up a room with their presence. Easily goal driven. They had to be given who their mother was.

“They’re beautiful kids. You and your husband must be proud.”

“Actually, my wife and I are proud.” Miranda corrected to which Leon’s eyes widened subtly as he the realization dawned on him. He blinked a few times as he processed what transpired. Miranda gave a bellowing laugh and then shook her head as she gently took back the phone.

“Are you offended?” She asked jokingly.

“N-no. I just had no idea you were bisexual.” Leon said in his defense.

“Lesbian actually. I had no idea I was either until after me and you broke up. You did me a solid.” Miranda said, her smile somewhat glum at mentioning that. Leon nodded and cleared his throat.

“How did you two meet?” He asked curiously.

“We met through a volunteer group, countering bioterrorism through educating fellow doctors on how to spot patients that may be infected and how to best quarantine them. She actually is trying to pass a medical law right now to have all hospitals across the US have high tech facilities that can handle any infected persons that come through. Catherine, my wife, she’s a governor now. So far she’s gotten her initiative passed in five states, mostly northern ones. The south has been reluctant, but you know how the politicians are down there.”

“I wouldn’t know. Rednecks scare the crap out of me so you don’t see me in Georgia.” Leon said with a smirk to which Miranda chuckled.

“I thought nothing scared you given that you basically fight zombies.”

“The undead are like wild animals. It’s easy to predict when they’re going to attack you. Regular people, and rednecks for that matter, you can never tell if they’re your friend or your enemy.”

“Given your expertise in the subject, where do you think I stand?” Miranda smiled.

“Acquaintance, possible friend at this point. Frenemy?” Leon said and smiled in return. Miranda turned her attention towards the bartender and hollered that she wanted a beer from the tap. The drink was quick to come, and she downed half of it by the time the glass hit the table and the bartender went back to his post.

“You still drink as if your life depends on it.” Leon said jokingly, taking a jab as Miranda snorted and gestured at Leon’s own beverage.

“And you still tread lightly. You barely touched your own beer.”

“I can’t afford too, sadly. Been trying to kick the habit.”

“Oh, you have a drinking problem?”

“More or less. I get nightmares a lot,” Leon said with a sigh as he rubbed his forehead and his bangs from his eyes. Miranda eyed him then. It had been years, but she could recall when Leon was getting tense and when he was trying to hide it.

“Your shoulders are scrunching up. You don’t like talking about it.” She pointed out.

Leon smiled lightly. “I can’t ever hide anything from you, can I?”

“Nope.” Miranda said as a matter of fact. “Do you have a family or anything like that, Leon?”

Leon wasn’t sure how to answer right away, he furrowed his brows and glanced around the tavern while collecting his thoughts before settling his gaze back on Miranda. He shook his head. His eyes held a somber look in them.

“No. I don’t have time for that kind of thing. In between fighting off monsters, checking in with my superiors, and going through rigorous government training, I don’t get a lot of personal time. Much less I can’t go out on dates on a whim.”

“You must have pulled a lot of strings to get to be here tonight.”

“What can I say?” Leon gave a shrug. “I’ve been nostalgic lately.”

“And clearly given that look in your eye, you want something from me.” Miranda said and crossed her arms. She held a playful smirk, but Leon could tell from her earthy eyes that she was cautious about wherever the conversation was going.

“Again, I could never hide anything from you.” Leon gave a laugh and then took a drink, this time a bit more than what he was accustomed too. “I heard you were with the doctors without borders group that was outside Kijuju. Could you tell me about it?”

Miranda looked taken aback, something Leon noted right away. Was she really that shocked he would come to possess such information? He had never seen Miranda off guard before. He kept his expression neutral, watching her as she gathered herself.

“Yeah, I try not to think about it. My team and I were transported out of there by the BSAA right before the plagas hit hard, but I did see how it affected the animal life. Poor things. I still get queasy thinking about it. I may not have seen the full scale Kijuju, but I can only imagine what it was like for the people over there. I promised myself after that trip, I wasn’t going to go on anymore humanitarian missions for a while. Not in this kind of world where plagues and viruses seem to be sprouting like spring flowers. How did you know about me being there?”

“A friend of mine works in the BSAA. We both share a lot of reports with each other. He was another survivor, Raccoon City and all. I looked through some records and found out you and that medical team gave statements and recommendations. I also saw you bumped into someone I’m looking for.”

“Who?”

“Ada. Ada Wong. You might have known her as Clariece Fisher on your medical team.”

Miranda shook her head and sighed. “I only met her a few times. We didn’t talk much.”

Leon furrowed his brows. “According to your statement you gave the BSAA, you mentioned a whole lot more than just a mere chit chat.”

“Leon, please…not here.” Miranda sounded almost guilty as Leon shook his head firmly. He couldn’t afford to lose this lead, he couldn’t afford to have Miranda get the upper hand on this one and make him fall back. He had to know.

“Miranda, what did Ada tell you? Look, you’re not under arrest or anything. I’ve been chasing her for a while. I need to know if she might have played a hand in what happened. Please.”

Miranda swallowed thick, contemplating whether or not she should suck in her pride and spill the beans or bolt quick before Leon could stop her. Given his training, and the fact she was a mere doctor and not a government agent, she quickly ruled out the latter. He was going to find out no matter what. Per usual, he was stubborn like that.

“I thought she was originally there as part of back up the medical team was suppose to receive. She even assisted with collecting samples, so that we could possibly conjure up a vaccine for the locals and animals. I caught her one night smuggling out some of the plagas among other blood the team had collected. Ada gave me a choice, either kill me and make it seem like one of the locals did it, or help her out. I helped her slip away with everything. Then I got back to the states and was awarded a quarter million dollars by an unknown source. I’m assuming it was her doing, buying my silence.”

Leon furrowed his brows. “Did she mention why she was collecting the plagas samples?”

“It was for a client. She didn’t disclose much other than that. I mostly had to help her keep up the charade that she was a part of the team. I even helped her fake she was killed during a shoot out. I know what I did was stupid, I should have turned her in as soon as I got back over to the states–but the money came in, and my wife lost her job and–”

Leon held up a hand gently and peered up at Miranda’s eyes, seeing she was on the verge of tearing up. He had met many people in life thanks to his job, and he knew from experience that she was sincere in her guilt. He then calmly put his hand down and sighed, closing his eyes as he debated with himself. Technically, she helped harbor a terrorist and on the other hand, he could understand well enough why Miranda took the hush money and bailed on telling the BSAA anything further.

“How did you find out Clariece was Ada Wong?” Miranda asked curiously.

“Call it a sixth sense.” Leon mused. “Given your statements about Clairece, a lot of the mannerisms and characteristics stood out as Ada. Like my friend in the BSAA, me and her go way back.”

Miranda furrowed her brows, looking a little shocked and somber. “Is she a war criminal?”

“Bioterrorist and conspirator. Works for the black market. She’s really smart.”

That last bit right there, gave away Leon even though he had no intention of it. Miranda’s face seemed to light up almost like the neon colors in the tavern. She didn’t say anything, not wanting to put Leon on the spot, but it became clear as day given his expression that he had a soft spot for this terrorist. Miranda couldn’t help but take one jab.

“You always did have a weakness for the bad asses.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Nevermind.” Miranda waved him off. Silence then filled the space between them as they both were unsure what to do next. They both took turns sipping from their own cups, letting the beer calm their nerves to a degree. Miranda’s face was a little plump and red from nervousness.

“What does this mean for me?” Miranda asked, caution in her tone as Leon sighed.

“Nothing. What’s done is done and I’m not about to break up a family on account you were blackmailed. As for the money, you got that from a rich family member that died right? Had no other heirs but you?” Leon said casually and gave a small smirk, letting Miranda take a breather. She let out a sigh of relief and wiped away at her eyes and murmured a hushed thank you to Leon for sparing her.

“Was this all you wanted from me?” Miranda asked, to which she was genuinely surprised when Leon shook his head.

“No. There’s something else I’ve been wanting to say to you for a long time,” He took in a breath, closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the memories of their time together to flow through him leading up to the fateful night. When he opened them, he had a clarity and a sense of purpose. He had been wanting to get this off his chest for a long time.

“Thank you, for breaking up with me.”

Miranda was taken aback. “Why would you thank me for that? It’s my fault you got drunk and ended up in that godforsaken city. You have no idea how many nights I had feeling like shit I never apologized or checked to see if you were okay after it. I was too scared. I was such a cunt for doing that, abandoning you. I should have checked in.”

Leon shook his head and instinctively, his hand reached out and clasped over hers as he held her gaze with a firm look. “No, you probably saved my life. See, I was late to work because I got drunk and worked up over the loss of us. Raccoon City was a nightmare, and yeah I walked right into the heart of it, but if I had left sooner, if I had been there earlier on with my team, I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. My life changed drastically Miranda, and a lot of it I despise but I don’t regret it. I don’t resent you for what happened. I feel like you’ve been needing to hear that for a long time now.”

Miranda at this point was crying, not hard but it was telling that she had carried the guilt with her over the years. Leon’s forgiveness was breaking whatever shields she had that held up her trying to hide the fact. Miranda nodded, gently taking her hand away from Leon as she grabbed a napkin and wiped away at her eyes. Leon gave her a chance to compose herself, he too shedding a few tears before sniffling and wiping them away rather quick.

“Your phone is ringing.” Leon said and gestured to Miranda’s black cell. It was buzzing with a familiar tune that Leon couldn’t quite recall.

“It’s my wife. She’s probably wondering where I’m at. I didn’t tell her we were meeting up.”

Leon nodded. “I gotta get going anyway. I may have pulled strings to meet up, but not much sadly.”

Miranda smiled. “Do you like your job?”

“To be honest? Not really. It’s soul crushing a lot of the time, but I do save people. I’d rather be a cop, or maybe even a doctor.” Leon joked and Miranda shook her head.

“I think you’re better at disembolwing corpses than putting one back together. Perhaps a mortician instead?”

“After all the shit I’ve seen since Raccoon City, not on your life.”

They both laughed together, the first time in years. There was something about it that made both of their hearts swell. A lot had changed, and as people they had gone on different paths but deep down they were still those young adults that were unsure yet sure of everything. Even within Leon, his youth was still there underneath the layers of who he had to become.

“You should come meet my wife and kids sometime, if it wouldn’t be too awkward.”

“I’d love to.” Leon smiled and then got up. He took his wallet out and threw down enough cash to cover his drink and Miranda’s. He then paused and gave her one last look, taking in how much she was different now. He felt a small pain of envy within himself, wondering what it would have been like if they were still together. Wondering how it would have been if they had a family. Wondering how different life would have turned out altogether.

“It’s all in the past. I’ll see you around Miranda.” He said with a warm smile then took his leave.

“You too, Leon. Good luck catching her.” That would be the last time they would see each other.

[nanna-melissa]

The 30 Day Resident Evil Challenge Answered in a Single Post

Day 1: Favorite RE game

I have too many to just name strictly one game. The REmake and 2 along with Revelations 2 and Outbreak.

Day 2: Least favorite villain

Not a huge fan of Simmons. He’s just too cliché for me.

Day 3: Do you like the movies? Why or why not?

I like the 2nd live action film and the two CGI ones that have come out so far. Otherwise I don’t really care for the rest of them. The story sucks, the acting is sub-par, the camera work is meh….They are just too predictable due to the amount of action movie clichés contained in their time.

Day 4: How many RE games do you own? How many have you currently beaten?

Oh lord…I own 1, 2, 3, Survivor, Code Veronica, Outbreak, Outbreak File 2, REmake, Zero, 4, 5, 6, Operation Raccoon City, Revelations, Revelations 2, Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles, and the deck building game. I have also beat all of them ;))))

Day 5: Favorite female character

CLAIRE REDFIELD FUCKING HANDS DOWN.

Day 6: Favorite weapon

Chris’ grenades in REmake

Day 7: Least favorite male character

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mark from Outbreak

Day 8: What was the first RE game you played?

Resident Evil 2, Claire A campaign since that’s the only one I could play for 10 years aaaaaay.

Day 9: Favorite creature

I really like hunters along with crimson heads.

Day 10: Have you read any of the books? If so, what ones?

YES! I own 6 of the S.D. Perry Novels. I’ve read the Umbrella Conspiracy, Caliban Cove, and City of the Dead along with the novelization of the 2nd live action movie. Yeah..the movie one wasn’t great but the S.D. Perry ones are really good! I also have the Revelations art book but I haven’t read the entire thing yet.

Day 11: What part in the games scared you the most?

Any of the nemesis encounters….especially the one where you obtain all the things needed to get to the clocktower and he’s in that tiny ass alleyway. Ugh…

Day 12: Favorite villain

Wesker…

Day 13: Was there any parts in the games that made you laugh?

The voice acting in the first game, O’Brian when you scan him with the genesis ‘what does the reading say? That I’m one sexy mofo, right?’…the goddamn raid mode faces in that game are also pretty top notch

Day 14: Favorite male character

BARRY MOTHER FUCKIN’ BURTON.

Day 15: Do you prefer the zombies or creatures infected with Las Plagas?

Eh…I kinda like zombies more but also I do like the more active infected like the enemies in Revelations 2. Depends on my mood, really.

Day 16: Least favorite female character

Maybe Excella. I used to say Helena but after playing RE6 again I grew to like her a lot more.

Day 17: Favorite boss battle

Maybe the final Birkin fight in the A-scenario in 2. I also really like Nosferatu in Code Veronica. His bossfight just really sticks out for me.

Day 18: Least favorite RE game

Operation Raccoon City…shit’s fucking awful.

Day 19: Do you own any RE merchandise besides the games?

I do! I own a few figures: 3 hunters (the funko figure, a RE1 hunter and a Remake hunter), a crimson head who came with a Cerberus, a chimera, a webspinner, Jill from RE1 and the funko figure, a licker funko..I think that’s it for figures? Then I have three shirts, an Umbrella umbrella, an Umbrella keychain, an Umbrella tattoo on the left forearm, a necklace that’s supposed to be a little T-virus sample, wall stickers, a replica of Leon’s jacket from RE6…uh…yee.

Day 20: Least favorite creature

The leech-infested doctors in the Hive Outbreak scenario…or maybe in Outbreak File 2 with the Flashback scenario with the zombies with plants on their heads that inflict poison…they’re also pretty annoying to deal with.

Day 21: Best line someone has said throughout the game series

Barry in Revelations 2 when Moira asks ‘Do you need me dad?’ and he’s like ‘I always need you…but for now…I have THIS’…gets me every goddamn time. I love it.

Day 22: Least favorite boss battle

All of the goddamn Simmons fights…ugh.

Day 23: What’s the highest score in Mercenaries you’ve ever gotten?

Um…..With RE4 it was like 160,000+ with Krauser in the castle but in RE6, according to my RE.net page, it’s 1,247,105?

Day 24: Do you have any favorite characters from the movies?

Does Claire in Degeneration count? She’s my fuckin’ bby, son.

Day 25: What do you think is the most challenging RE game?

CODE VERONICA HANDS DOWN..with Revelations 2 as a close 2nd.

Day 26: Leon or Chris?

Oh man…probably Chris. I just wish they would do more with Leon but with Chris they tackle mental health issues and his relationship with Claire in 2 and Code Veronica and also his relationship with Jill and Barry n shit.

Day 27: Favorite concept art from RE

I really like the concept art for 2 with the zombies and the police station and everything. Revelations is also pretty good.

Day 28: Least favorite weapon

The stick in Outbreak. Just…it’s nothing but a stick. You toss it and boom, done.

Day 29: Have you cried at any parts of the games?

When Steve died I did a little bit…also when Chris punches the fucking boulder but that was tears of laughter, mostly.

Day 30: Anything else you want to talk about that’s related to RE

Not especially, no. I’m just mostly upset I can’t play RE7 xP