project: eden | leon kennedy

▪︎ Chapter 14 ▪︎

Hurt mixed with anger flashed across Leon's face, but before Thea could read his true emotions, he tilted his head and shifted his body away from hers. His hair fell in his face, and the way his body slumped forward a little, it reminded Thea of a fallen angel. Someone who's been through so much their body and soul would just give up.

She barely got to know this new Leon, but she already knew this much: she preferred the angry Leon over this sad and broken-looking one any day.

"I don't know what you are or who sent you," Leon spoke up again, his voice going back to its cold and neutral state. He checked the bullets in his handgun as he continued. "But you're not her. And when I see you again, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in you."

He lost his fucking mind. And now he was making her lose hers as well.

"What do you mean?" Thea stammered out, her cheeks flaming from the anger she was containing. Nothing made sense. She searched for him for so long and he wasn't even going to hear her out? How dare he?

But just like he didn't hear her words, he turned around and started to walk away from her. The brunette's mouth fell open at the audacity and how easily he was ready to just leave her here, in the middle of nowhere.

"The fuck you mean by that?" Thea called after him as she followed, not ready to give up that easily. She was a stubborn little thing, that's alright. "Leon, wait!"

"Go to Hell," it came in a growl, the edge in his voice slashing towards her sharply in the air. Still, it wasn't enough to make her back down. Not when she was this close to connecting with someone from her past.

Someone who may know the truth about what happened in the past. To her.

And if that meant going to Hell and back, she'd do just that. This backwater shitty Spanish village was already looking a lot like Hell.

"Then come with me!" Thea yelled at his back with anger, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

That finally did the trick. Leon stopped in his tracks, his back still facing her. But at least he stopped, she took that as a win. With rapid footsteps, Thea caught up to him and stopped only a step away from him. She could see how tense his body was, how desperately he clung to his gun. A muscle tensed in his jaw, eyes refusing to meet hers.

"How could I prove it to you?" the girl's voice shifted into a desperate tone, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

She wanted someone to believe her so badly, it almost hurt. She needed someone who could give answers to her, someone who wouldn't try to kill her every waking minute. She just needed someone to be there.

And he was the closest to someone she could call a friend.

Finally, Leon raised his eyes to meet her emerald gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. For a few seconds, his eyes flickered over her face like he had just seen her for the first time. His lips parted as if the blond wanted to say something, but at second thought he closed it and shook his head. Her heart fell to her stomach when he took a step away from her.

She had to do something, say something. Thea's mind flew with a thousand miles a minute as she tried to think of something that could make him stay, make him listen to her. Try to understand her, even.

And there was only one thing that could make her believe if the roles were reversed.

"I-"

"Your name is Leon Scott Kennedy," Thea blurted out, her mind raking through every little bit of information she managed to gather in the past 13 months. "We-we went to college together. We wanted to be cops. Your parents were killed and that's why you wanted to become a cop. Your favorite color is that weird shade between blue and green, the one nobody can decide whether it's blue or green. And-"

"Stop-", the man's voice was barely above a whisper, one she didn't hear.

"-And you don't like reading. You get a headache when the weather gets too cold too suddenly. And...And I called you Scotty because I know how much you hate it. And-"

"Stop!"

Her rambling got cut off, his heavy gaze making her cheeks flush. The woman swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared up at Leon, his breathing matching her rapid one. There were a few other things she managed to gather from her torn-up memories, but all thoughts left her head when he raised his free hand. For a second, she thought he was going to punch her, but when his knuckles brushed against her skin like a feather, the woman's heart started to beat faster for an entirely different reason.

The way his steel blue eyes softened as he looked at her stole her breath away.

She barely got to enjoy the whisper of a touch on her face when he pulled away, taking all the warmth away from her body.

"But you died..." Leon whispered, his voice broken.

Not being able to handle the agony and sadness radiating off of him, Thea forced a small smile on her lips and tipped her head to the side.

"Well, it clearly didn't stick."

"You're still not funny," the blond deadpanned, earning a little more genuine grin this time.

A loud yell from their left interrupted their special moment. Leon's head whipped towards the noise, his body straightening and his face void of all emotions. Things got back to their original pace, just when she started to get through his shield.

Not being able to hide her disappointment, a frown took over Thea's features as she followed Leon's gaze. She couldn't see anything but he looked like someone that knew exactly what was coming their way. And judging by his reaction, she didn't really want to find out what was approaching.

"We should get going," Leon spoke up, his eyes returning to hers. She couldn't help but feel familiarity as he looked at her, a small piece of the Leon from her dreams (more like her memories) looking back at her.

She shoved the warmth that spread through her chest back into the pits of hell. She couldn't afford to get attached too easily. Not her. Not to him.

"And you won't try to kill me again?" Thea drew an eyebrow at him, swinging her shotgun lightly in her hand.

Leon looked in thought for a second before shrugging his shoulder, and taking the lead again. The brunette fought for her life to hold back an eye-roll, silently sauntering after the man. On the bright side, she had the opportunity to take in his appearance a little more, since there was more light outside.

Her eyes rested upon his broad shoulders, his dark blue T-shirt stretching across his broad frame. But as she looked harder, it was not only his back that got bigger. His whole being got stronger, deadlier. Strong arms, strong and long legs, confident steps. She thought that even the longer hair suited him more.

She would never admit it out loud, but she was glad he was here. She finally did something right (well, not counting how she hijacked and then crashed said hijacked helicopter) and found who she was looking for.

Because Leon Kennedy was the only man who could give her answers about what happened back in Raccoon City. How she became what she is now.