SAVEGUARD ⟼ leon s. kennedy

xx. mutual excitement

𝕝𝕖𝕠𝕟

"Leon... You always do this."

Leon jerks his hand away from yours, and turns to face the door, where Chris Redfield's voice is coming from. He takes one quick look at the drip going into your IV and at your vitals on the monitor screen, to make sure your heart rate is still consistent, before standing up and exiting the room.

"Do what?" He asks Chris as he closes the door quietly.

"I don't know. This overprotective shit you do, like you take full responsibility over someone so quickly," Chris says with a slight smirk as he walks over to the coffee machine.

Leon follows him, confused at his statement. Chris orders his coffee black, and orders another one for Leon with two sugars and extra milk.

"I don't know what you mean. She almost died trying to distract that thing away from me when I couldn't stand," Leon says, blowing on the steam coming out of his coffee.

Chris smirks and sits down on the blue plastic chairs in the lobby. "Those puppy dog eyes in there, Kennedy.... Good thing my sister wasn't here to see that."

Leon sits down next to him. "Claire still has that stupid crush on me?"

Chris' eyebrows shoot up as if to apologise for his little sister's behaviour. "Probably. But most of the time she says she's too busy for men."

Leon smiles softly. "Smart."

"So. What's the story with this one? Clementine, right?" Chris asks, leaning back in his chair, resting his head against the wall.

Leon's smile diminishes. "I— I don't know. Intel had it all wrong about her."

"Fucking right they did. I don't think the FDC would have put one of their own on the very same boat as those ooze monsters. They wouldn't just put her in danger like that."

"Field operation support has never made a mistake like that... I was given direct orders to take care of the threat." Leon shudders at the memory.

"So she's been cleared? Innocent?"

"Yep. Fully. Turns out Tripp was also being tailed. He never met or contacted Clementine outside of work."

I just know she wouldn't have it in her to lie to me like that, he wanted to add, but he says nothing.

Chris crumples up his styrofoam cup and dunks it in the waste bin across the room. Leon stands up and throws in his empty one as well. He stands with his hands in his pockets in the middle of the lobby, his feet itching to go back to your room, to be by your side in case you wake up, because he doesn't want you to be alone. 

He wants to be there for you, to thank you for protecting him when you had nothing, to apologise for not trusting you, to make sure you're okay. He realises how badly he wants to see that stupid grin on your face again.

He feels Chris look up at him, studying him. He feels heat rise to his cheeks, embarrassed at how easy Chris can read him sometimes.

"What, Redfield?"

Chris stands up, and stretches his neck. "Don't let feelings interfere with your job. Remember last time?"

Leon bits his lip. The memories always hurt when they came. "This isn't like that—"

"I know," Chris interjects, putting his hand out to stop Leon from talking. "But this mission is far from over. Jill and I will need all the help we can get once you two recover."

"I'm fine," Leon says, but the stitches in his leg contradict his words.

"How good is she in combat?" Chris asks as he tilts his head in the direction of your room.