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— ♦ —
Ada should have realized she was infected sooner.
The migraines, the tremors, the blackouts, that continuous feeling of something tugging at the back of her brain; the signs were there, she just didn’t want to admit she had faltered.
At first, she pushed through it. Swallowing that sickly feeling bubbling in her throat and only acknowledging it as her being off her game, maybe coming down with a cold in this awful weather. But a logical part of her knew that she was just kidding herself. She slipped up. She let that creature’s venom graze her shoulder. If it wasn’t already bad enough that it tore a hole in the sleeve of her sweater dress, now she was dying, at risk of becoming like one of those mindless zealots and villagers.
Thankfully, her fate wasn’t sealed just yet. Luis Serra, her contact for the retrieval mission that brought her here in the first place, had a solution to her plight. Of course, it wouldn’t be as simple as taking a pill, or a shot, or even smoking any of the various herbs growing in pots around the village that were claimed to have “health benefits.” No, now she was being sent off to retrieve various ingredients from around the castle for a miracle cure.
That was her job, wasn’t it?
She got the things her employers didn’t want to dirty their hands with. Only this time, instead of money, she would be rewarded with her own life. And while that was reason enough for her, she felt a little more motivated when she was informed that her life wasn’t the only one at risk.
It made sense that she’d see the Rookie from Raccoon City again. It was only a matter of time after he had been recruited by the American government. Ada, for whatever reason, seemed to conflict with their goals more often than not.
While she felt a little nostalgic saving his ass from the shadows again when he got caught up in a swarm in the village, she didn’t plan to encounter Leon Kennedy. Sure, she took a quick detour to stop his head from being crushed by the goliath preacher, and yes, she would stop her pursuit to check in on him from afar any time she would spot him… But that was no trouble at all for her. It wouldn’t be the end of the world for her to play guardian angel every once and a while.
Truthfully, she had hoped to get in and out with the Amber in her possession before running the risk of things turning ugly with him. She would have insisted that it was strictly better to move in silence, but there was another factor at play. Ada Wong had only ever failed one mission in her life and it was all his fault. All the fault of those sad eyes and disappointed face. While correlation didn’t always equal causation, Leon was a factor in her last failure, and she would not let herself go 0 for 2. Luckily for her, the universe had a sense of humor in putting them in the same vicinity at the exact same time, only to have their objectives be entirely different.
His assignment this go-around was playing knight in shining armor to the poor daughter of President Graham. Luis informed Ada that he and his charge were both infected as well. They were all starting to form quite the exclusive club, one that was about to get more mainstream if Sadler’s plot went into effect.
So Ada did what she did best, she retrieved. She had managed to find the Golden Bottle, and the pretty Blue Butterfly with little trouble. Now all that was left to find was the Red Ink, located in the Bindery.
She entered the room with purpose, pistol at the ready as she scanned the area. Her steps crossed over each other cautiously as she peeked past a shelf filled with wood and canvas, expecting one of those muttering, cloaked zealots to come shambling out. But when she stepped around it, gun at the ready, there was nothing. Taking the cue, she allowed herself to relax at the sign of no immediate danger.
As she allowed herself to examine the area, she made note of any picture frames, or open journals that seemed out of place. It’d become customary in her line of work. She was always so fascinated by the amounts of puzzles and secret compartments people managed to implement into their castles, mansions, sewers, or police departments.
She managed to find stone tabletsfter pushing a sheet of paper through the large, medival printmaker, she had her first clue.
It took a minute, but after shooting the last shield-shaped switch on the wall, she heard a click from behind her, then the dragging of polished wood against polished wood as a drawer slid out of a bookcase. She went to it, seeing the ideal red shade encased in dull glass. Her salvation.
She grabbed the glass inkwell as instructed, swirling the crimson liquid with idle interest, stepping towards her exit. But when she heard footsteps rushing through the corridor behind the wooden door to her left, she stopped herself.
Her eyes snapped to the window on the opposite end of the room, and she darted for it. She pushed it open just enough to let in the frigid night air, but for some reason, her hand froze against the window pane. She felt that tugging sensation at the back of her brain again.
She shouldn’t trust whatever was screaming in her veins to stay put in this room, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t bring herself to run away this time. She didn’t have much time to spare, those footsteps were getting louder and louder. Deciding on a compromise between her parasite and survival instincts, she stepped behind the shelf, in a space where the book binding materials seemed the most cluttered, shielding her from the view of whoever was on their way.
Her face found a slit of empty space to spy through. When whoever was tomping rudely through the halls would come in, she would have the advantage. She wouldn’t let them catch her off her guard. Or so she thought. Her confident, prepared demeanor stuttered when she saw him push through the doorway.
Leon Scott Kennedy entered the room, pistol first, scanning the area almost perfectly. For a moment, she even thought he caught a glimpse of her as she ducked out of the way, but it seemed she was still better at hiding than he was at seeking.
Her back hit the shelf silently, and she couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at her lips, feeling almost giddy to see him. The kind of giddiness that came and went quickly, leaving her cringing inwardly. She internally chastised herself for acting like a child, shaking her face off to neutralize her expression while she listened to his footsteps.
Her head craned slightly to watch him as she saw his shadow shift against the wall. She was on her toes as she snuck just out of his line of sight to circle around behind him.. Their movements almost felt choreographed by how he just barely missed her escape. Or, what should have been her escape. She had the perfect opening to slink out of here with him having been no the wiser. But in spite of her plan, her agreement with herself to keep her distance, something inside her couldn't stay away.
It was only after he made some distance between himself and the door, that she stepped more into the light, silently trailing him. She took her time to admire him from a distance, noticing how he’s changed from the good-hearted rookie she met that dreadful night all those years ago.
Sure, she had done her homework on Leon Scott Kennedy after she had escaped Raccoon City, and she gotten a glimpse of him the day before through her scope, but seeing him in the flesh was an entirely new feeling. His hair was lighter than she remembered, longer too. Yet, it was almost humorously similar to the little boy-band haircut he was rocking last time. He stepped with the same old confidence, only with newer, stronger boots thunking heavily against the floor. And that tight short-sleeved compression shirt? That was certainly an upgrade to his attire that she could appreciate.
She took a brief look at her pistol and flicked open the chamber with her wrist, noting that she had two bullets still inside. She emptied her gun into the palm of her hand and stowed the bullets away. There was no need to risk actually hurting that pretty face when she just got it back. She snapped the chamber shut again, lifting the gun teasingly as she stepped forward, purposefully clicking her heels on the hardwood floor to reintroduce herself. She watched as he stepped towards the window, lowering his pistol slightly. She smirked, a playful line on the tip of her tongue to reveal herself after all this time.
But then he stumbled forward.
A violent cough hacked up through his shoulders, making him grip the windowsill. Another, louder cough was pressing into the inside of his elbow while he gripped his gun tighter, as though trying not to let himself drop it. He stumbled side to side, before turning back away from the window, his back facing the stone walls, eyes squeezed tight in pain, and the toe of his boot pressed down hard on the floor, pushing himself as upright as he could.
He was still so damn stubborn.
But he was still human, so the last cough, clotted in the back of his throat, made his knees give out. She slid her gun into its holster without second thought as she already took a step forward. She had felt time stop as she watched him crumple to the floor and cursed the way her limbs felt like they were dragging through water. She hit the ground next to him on one knee, bending the toe of her stilettoed boot, undoubtedly creasing the expensive leather. But that didn’t matter; she got down to his level with purpose.
“Leon-” She hissed, tugging his shoulders up to sit him against the old stone wall, steadying him with one hand, before cupping the back of his skull with the other. She handled him gently, supporting his limp neck as she tried to keep him upright.
“Leon.” She whispered again.
Her voice threatened to crack at the sight. She took a sharp, quick breath, as though hiding the fact that she, just like anyone else, needed air. She had to get a hold of herself. Her gloved fingers pushed back the damp, bleached strands from his eyes before they found their way to cup his cheek. She tapped his temple gently, trying to coax him awake.
“You know, this is getting a little repetitive.” She murmured, forcing herself to smirk. Perhaps treating this like a private joke could force her heart out of her throat. “You really shouldn’t be making a habit of sleeping on the job. That’s twice now, Rookie…”
Despite her jovial tone, this position felt painfully familiar. Her, holding Leon upright as he felt limp in her arms. His eyebrows pinched together, nostrils flaring gently as he breathed, jaw still clenched, lips morphing from a pained grimace to an exhausted slackness, then back again on a loop. She hated seeing him so vulnerable. It was a shame she didn’t have a jacket to droop over his slack form this time.
Though, he wasn’t exactly identical to how he looked then. She took in the sunken state of his eyes, dark circles formed underneath his long bottom lashes. Of course she knew he was infected, Luis told her just as much, but she expected more from him. Perhaps it was unfair of her, but still she expected him to be stronger, persevere as he always has, without breaking a sweat. To expect that of anyone else would be out of the question, but Leon? It didn’t seem too tall a task for him in her eyes.
But she was mistaken. He was no longer the knight in shining armor she watched charge into battle from the clocktower, nor the heroic legend she began to see a paper trail of in the past six years of surveillance, he wasn’t even the indomitable spirit she fell for all those years ago. He was only human. He wasn’t invincible.
She could feel herself edging towards panic as his head stayed lulled to the side.
God, if he died here? Now? Would she have to be the one to kill him? To stop him from hurting herself, or anyone else? He wouldn’t want to be one of those mindless walking corpses. She would do what she had to, but in the moment, all she could think of was how she didn’t want to be in the position to test that theory. And what about the girl? His charge? Who would help-
Her inner thoughts came to a screeching halt as his eyes fluttered open. She caught a glimpse of how his icy blue eyes were nestled in black tendrils spreading over his sclerae. This is what Luis must have seen in her own eyes. She tried to keep her composure only to see those eyes droop back and close, those pupils rolling behind his lids lazily. She took his chin and shook gently.
“Come on….You’ve still got a job to do here, don’t you?” She whispered. His face twisted in confusion before his eyes peeked open.
Those blue eyes, the same that held her gaze on that bridge, the same that she couldn’t find the strength to but a bullet between. They held the same tired hue they were when he gripped her hand so tightly as he tried to stop her from falling. Then, those sad, sick eyes shifted. She could see how he softened his focus, the tension in his shoulders dropping. The corners of his mouth tilted upwards ever so slightly, he spoke so softly she wouldn’t have heard him if she wasn’t so dialed in to his frequency.
“Ada.”
— ♣ —
Leon has seen Ada Wong plenty of times since they last met in Raccoon City six years ago.
Not in person, of course, but in his most vulnerable moments. He didn’t dream much, but when he did, it somehow always circled back to that one dreadful night. Everything would replay like a camcorder, static framing the edges, cut together like someone just kept recording over the previously shot footage. That night visited him relentlessly, but occasionally, it would wander away from the horrific imagery enough to allow her to tag along. The briefest respite he’d find in his dreams was the time he’d be back with her. He’d be back in the RCPD parking lot, back in the cable car, hell, he’d even take solace in seeing her on that damn bridge, gun aimed at his chest.
Surprisingly enough, he didn’t mind that memory much, it was the after that he would rather fast forward through. Every dream, he’d try to hold his imagined grip as hard as he could, thinking he somehow could have changed things, he could have fixed things, that could have saved her. Leon’s subconscious stayed unkind in those dreams, and he’d watch her plummet or die, or bleed out over and over and over and over and over until he would finally, mercifully wake.
But this dream wasn’t like anything Leon had known before tonight. He had felt it earlier, when he was first injected with Las Plagas, but this felt more vivid than the brief flashes he had felt while already out cold. This vision stole him from the waking world, wrecking his lungs as he tried to breathe through the loss of consciousness. He was out before he could even feel himself hit the floor. He was welcomed into sleep with layered whispers that his Elementary level Spanish could pick up every other word of. A crowd was murmuring around him at every angle; he could swear he felt their breath on his ear. But the voices only built as another, louder voice centered itself in the front of his head like a migraine.
It preached of sacrificial bodies, of a holy blessing, all while wearing a face he could recognize from the various grand portraits that adorned the village and castle walls. He felt like his head was wrapped in chains, and they were getting heavier and heavier as new layers encircled the previous.
There was another voice however, it felt safe, which made it stick out from the chorus around him. He couldn’t make out a word that was being said while he was like this, but it guided him from the storm nonetheless.The darkness began to thin, light blossoming in the center of his vision as he could feel his eyes struggle to open. He felt weak, even something as simple as the light of his surroundings made his head pound. He used all of his newly acquired strength to focus on the blurred shapes in front of him. It was a figure, bathed in a flickering, warm, heavenly light from behind. Blinking, blinking, blinking until his vision was clear enough to see
Her.
Her raven hair framed her face so perfectly, with those familiar lips colored a deep rose. He could tell she was speaking, but his head was throbbing so hard, every word muffled as though his ears were filled with cotton. Her eyes were shadowed with a crimson that matched the garment she was wearing. And her eyes. God even as they were out of his focus, those eyes looked like the deepest darkest moonlit lakes. Those were the eyes that he could drown in.
This feels like drowning.
His throat felt raw, tongue tasting like pennies.
He felt air enter his lungs, and it burned.
But all that pain numbed itself in the back of his brain.
Because his mind let him see her again, perhaps it wasn’t so unkind after all. He felt the tension in his brows subside, his face sagging in relief. She was here to take him away, like every nightmare before. She would save him as always.
“Ada.”
Leon sighed through cracked, bloody lips. He wanted to reach for her, he really did, but his arms felt like they were filled with rocks. He looked down at them dazedly, as though they could only exist and function again if they were in his line of sight.
Wait.
Something was on his arm. He squinted at the black encasing his forearm. A gloved hand…her hand. He could feel her touch; he felt her presence, unlike any dream or hallucination he had had before.
He blinked again, eyebrows furrowed together as he focused on her face, then behind her. That heavenly glow was nothing more than a torch, flames chasing the shadows across the stone brick walls surrounding them. The Bindary. He was still there, she was there-
What the hell was she doing there?
“...Ada?”
He asked this time, voice raspy, trying so desperately to build his walls back up in spite of how hot his felt. From the fever? From the embarrassment of being caught so vulnerable? He wasn’t sure. Either way the last thing he needed was to show weakness now. Her leather glove stuck to his sweaty arm, pausing his recoil only for a second. He turned away from her as best as he could as he felt his strength slowly return. He gripped the desk, forcing himself upright. He felt her recede, and he couldn’t help the way his heart lunched, as though chasing after her. Leon’s arms groaned as he pulled himself up. He only let himself have a moment of support before he forced all his weight on his feet. He clenched his teeth, tasting the iron of his own blood.
He swiped the back of his hand over his bottom lip, brushing away the spit and blood that wasn’t yet dry. He grimaced, stepping forward stubbornly only for his toe to catch on the ground. He braced for impact as he felt himself fall forward, only to feel himself being caught awkwardly.
Leon tensed at the feeling of her arms jutting at him, before gripping him tight. It was probably the least graceful she’s ever been in front of him. Her one arm hooked around his bicep, while the other was firm against his chest.
If he needed confirmation that she was more than just his imagination, this was more than enough.
He could hear her say something faintly, some sort of gentle encouragement. He let himself feel weak for one blissful moment, reveling in her touch. He swung his head lazily to look at hair, hair falling in his eyes. One look at her, and his knees felt even weaker. She was still in the crimson all his memories covered her in, in a short, tight, turtleneck dress, strapped with a black harness that reminded him that she was still a mercenary. He looked down at her hand wrapped around his arm, her knuckles and fingers covered with a leather glove. She probably didn’t even realise she was doing it, but he felt her thumb rub up and down his arm gently.
That made him feel faint.
“You…pick one hell of a time to check in.”
He let his grumpy attitude drop momentarily, wincing as he stood himself up.
His stomach flipped when he noticed her restrained smile. He could even convince himself that she looked relieved.
“And you certainly know how to keep a lady waiting.” Her voice felt clearer than before, different from what he remembered. Leon huffed, before using his thumb to perform one more sweep over his slightly cleaner lip, trying and failing to mask the slight smile she got out of him.
“Just paying it forward. At least I didn’t make you wait six years…” Leon said, unable to stop the bitterness slipping out. And just like that, he was sure he ruined it.
But she seemed unaffected, raising an eyebrow.
“Has it really been that long?” She asked, tilting her head at him questioningly.
She was teasing him, even now. God, she was cruel. Here he is, infected, maybe even dying, and she won’t even let him have the satisfaction of confirming that he wasn’t the only one who thought back on that night constantly. However, he could hear in her voice what her face was attempting to mask. He heard the way her pitch went up toward the end of her statement. For most, that would be a tell-tale sign of shock, but Ada Wong would only let you believe she was surprised if she wasn’t. She knew exactly how long it had been since their paths first crossed. Perhaps she had been counting down the days, just as he had.
She stepped back again, heels clicking the floor as she effortlessly sauntered back against the wall. The way she observed him, looking over his hands, his face, his neck, as though he was under a microscope. The attention made his face feel hot- Or maybe it was just the infection…
Her toned arms were set behind her back, a small barrier between her back and the coarse stone bricks. She stood there for a while, and Leon would have paid every pesetas he had gained curing this mission in his pocket to know what was going through her head.
Was she pitying him? Seeing him so pathetic? So weak? This wasn’t how he wanted their reunion to go, even if any time imagined seeing her again it felt like a ridiculous fantasy. But of all the times for her to come back to him, for her to choose his least graceful or sexy moment felt like the universe spitting at his feet. And the way she just kept staring at him. It was driving him crazy, that throbbing fever pulsing at the back of his brain. He opened his mouth to tell her off, to deflect and demand she stop staring, but she was so characteristically faster than him.
“You don’t seem very surprised to see me… ” Ada finally said, metaphorically prodding him with a stick.
At first, she seemed stiff in her delivery, like she didn’t know she was going to say it until the words were already spoken. She did her best to recover, crinkling her nose with a smile as she played this game she had started. “Considering how things were when we last saw each other… I was expecting your jaw to be on the floor for a little bit longer.”
Leon wasn't all too eager to reveal just how many sleepless nights he had spent looking into her. He discovered pretty early on in his search through any database he could get his hands on that “Ada Wong” was an alias of some kind, not giving him nearly enough information to quench his thirst.
“I’ve thought a lot about that night.” He said. Technically the truth.
“Did some digging between assignments. Found some grainy footage of a woman on the outskirts of Raccoon City after the bomb that looked familiar. Connected the dots.” His retelling was certainly underselling exactly what he went through. When Leon saw her, bandaged and, broken on the damaged CCTV footage, he felt sick with both grief and relief.
He had mourned her a million times over, and just that glimpse of hope has stuck with him ever since. As he proved himself useful to his higher ups, they would loosen his leash ever so slightly. He took whatever access he was granted and looked into every file he could get his hands on with a fine-toothed comb. Every once and a while, he’d spot her signature red and feel another reason to keep going. He knew she was alive, but no amount of evidence was enough to satisfy him.
Ada looked at him with what he could only assume was skepticism at his simplification. She let her arms fall to her side, hips swaying as she wandered away from him idly. She wasn’t even looking at him now, either she trusted him, or she thought he was too weak in the moment to be any real threat. Leon’s eyes slid down her frame-
Perhaps staying focused on the sway of her hips longer than he should have.
“How is your new gig?” She started, snapping him back to attention. Her fingers trailed over a wooden shelf, flicking the gathered dust off of her fingers as she stepped oh so slowly. ”Becoming a big time government agent with only one day of police experience has to be a new record.”
Leon furrowed his eyebrows at her. She knew he was working for the government now. What else did she know about him? That he was coerced into the role to save Sherry’s life? That he had so little control of his own agency anymore? He hated that she had all the answers and yet the biggest revelation he made about her in the past six years was that she was still alive.
Her eyes flicked back to meet his, and he stood firm in his guarded expression. Her gaze only lasted for a moment before she returned to her slow walk, as though circling him like a shark.
“...I did some digging too.” Her voice seemed softer. He just barely caught it, but the difference was there. There was some kind of admittance wrapped up in her words.
Leon tilted his head as he looked at her again, eyes attempting to be scrutinizing.
“And who are you working for these days, Ada?” He asked.
“Leon, you know I don’t like to work and tell…” She hummed, smiling again. That smile infuriated him. It was cocky, like she knew she could get away with having all the cards. Probably because she could. What was he going to do about it?
“Well you could always just feed me a lie. Like last time.” He huffed. He was back to sulking.
“You want me to lie to you?” Ada’s voice lilted into an almost laugh. She thought this was funny; she liked twisting his words.
“I wanna know if I have to take you in.” Leon practically pounced into her words. He schooled his face to glare at her, to try and express just how serious this was for him. He didn’t want to fight her, not really, but if she had a hand in this kidnapping, in any of the cult shit he’ll have seared into his mind for the rest of his life, he’d have to stop her. He would. Surely.
But Ada only chuckled softly, looking at him like he was utterly harmless.
“You’re adorable.”
Leon’s jaw clenched in annoyance, ignoring how warm his ears felt. Ada stepped a little closer, like she was testing the waters. She looked him up and down, it felt flirty at first, playful, but her eyes got caught on his, and something changed. She saw his darkening eyes, the evidence of the parasite making itself at home in his veins.
“Besides, you seem a little preoccupied.” There was worry in her banter, Leon felt it. No matter how she masked it with her soft condescension,
Leon felt exposed as she acknowledged the elephant in the room. He sniffed stubbornly, jaw set as he shrugged her off.
“...This is nothing.” He lied, avoiding her gaze in what he thought would be seen as a nonchalant move. He stood up a little taller, as though having better posture would make her forget how pathetic and weak he had looked only moments ago. There’s a pause, he could feel her staring at him, and he suppressed a shiver to think of her look being disapproving.
”Right. Nothing.” Ada spoke dryly, and that only made him feel worse. Like he was being scolded. He felt a ringing in his ears again, this parasite was butting while he was trying so hard to prove his point.
Ada shook her head. Disappointed, maybe?
“You should really take better care of yourself. I won’t always be around to save you, Rookie.” She took one step back, starting to retreat, but she wasn't trying very hard. “This has been fun, but if you’re done dying, I really have things to do around here.”
Leon smirked a little. “So you stuck around just for me? What, should I feel honored or something?” He was trying so hard to combat his embarrassment with humor, to act as all just a means of flirting. Even if he felt a twinge of sadness at the prospect of her leaving.
“Very.” Ada started, before looking away from him, and towards the window. But when he saw the side of her face, the whites of her eyes at their fullest. And he saw it, for a split second. He grabbed her wrist hard, stopping her. Her hand flew to her pistol when he tugged her forward. He felt the barrel pressed up into the soft space inside the curl of his bottom jawbone.
There’s no bullets.
He heard himself think. Well maybe not think, more like something that he knew. Some knowledge bestowed to him from some anonymous source. So he didn’t flinch, he stared into her eyes as she pressed the gun up against the bottom of his head more defensively, but his jaw was set, unafraid. Her eyes thinned into a glare, but now that he knew what to look for, he could see that parasite in her eyes as clear as day.
“What are you-?” She hissed, rolling her wrist in an attempt to get him off of her as he was unperturbed by the weapon she had pointed at him.
“-You’re infected.” Leon said, suddenly so still as his eyes nearly bore a hole through those wicked squirming lines surrounding her dark pupils. He noticed the way her veins shifted along her cheeks, the subtly darkened throb meandering from her eyes. God, how could he not have noticed sooner?
He felt weak. This wasn’t a zombie, or a monster, or even a tyrant. This wasn’t something he could fight for her, protect her from. Even if she was more likely to save him in a dangerous scenario. But there was no fighting this damn thing. It was stewing in their blood, changing them from within into mindless husks. He would never see her smile again, never watch her contemplative face as she planned. He had been deprived of the real her for six years, and he wasn't planning on being rid of her so quickly. He had to clench his fists at his side to keep him from grabbing her again and examining her eyes and veins. He swallowed the panic clutching at his throat, lip trembling slightly as he spoke again.
“And you were the one telling me to ‘take care’.” He bit sharply. She wrenched her hand away from him, and he couldn’t help but step closer, hating even the distance between them now.
In an instant, every claim he had made about his own infection flew out the window. Suddenly, it was wrong and irresponsible to be fighting alone in this place. Suddenly this parasite needed an immediate cure.
“You’re infected…” He hated the way his voice cracked, seeming so much smaller.
Ada held up her hand at him placatingly. “I’m handling it.” She said simply
“W-what does that mean? ‘Handling it’... what- how the fuck are you-?” He was fumbling with his words, leaving things up to chance with made him sick to his stomach. And then she reached forward and pressed two fingers to his lips, shushing him. His eyes shot open in response, but he dutifully kept his mouth shut.
“It means don’t worry about me.”
This woman was going to be the death of him.
Leon shook his head fiercely. “I can’t do that. Not when you’re out there, alone. What happens when you feel it take over. It feels like hell, Ada. You shouldn’t-”
Ada scoffed incredulously, shaking her head with unbelieving eyes. “Your hypocrisy is astounding.”
He was fuming, wanting to throw that claim right back at her, go in an infinite loop about who was acting more self-destructive. But he swallowed it, clenching his teeth as he stepped closer, feeling some invisible line tugging him closer like a fish on a goddamned hook. “I’m serious.” His attempt at a strong interjection sounded meek in his own ears.
He felt that panic, that worry. He felt 21 again. Fresh-faced, fearful, and so unbelievably smitten with her. One look at her face and was back on that bridge, gripping her hand so tightly, shoulder nearly popping out of his socket as he needed her safe in his arms. Yet she was still letting go, she would still rather fall than let herself need him too.
“...I…I don’t know who you're working for…or what the hell you’re even doing here-” Her eyebrows pinched together with frustration as Leon rambled.
“-and I don’t care.” He added quickly. He hoped he sounded as genuine as he felt. He needed her to understand that he was not her enemy here. He needed her to know that she didn’t have to run from him again. He could be there for her if she would just get over herself and let him.
“You could die. Whatever you're after can’t be worth that.”
He felt his chest heaving with every breath. It wasn't fair for him to say all of this. He knew he wouldn’t take his own advice if he were on the receiving end of this desperate plea.
Or maybe he would.
Maybe he would take this advice, only if she were the one to give it. He would give anything for her to tell him his life meant something to her, that she needed him.
Maybe that was pathetic, but his head felt so damn frazzled, his limbs like they were on fire. Ada started to speak, started to argue, but he couldn’t stand it anymore.
— ♣ ♦ —
Leon felt his feet move faster than his brain, as he surged towards her. His fingers laced behind her neck to guide her backwards, only separating so one hand could be placed against the wall to catch her before they collided. He panted as he looked at her, groaning into his exhale before his lips were on hers.
Ada tensed up as her snarky comeback died in her throat, expecting to hit the wall, only to be pleasantly surprised by how Leon had cushioned her collision like it was instinct, even as he lost his composure. She stared at him until his lips collided with hers, and she let her eyes droop shut. Her hand went slack and her pistol fell to the ground without so much as a goodbye. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, her shoulders braced against the wall as her neck craned forward so she could meet him half way. She needed his lips more than she needed air. Her own lips even followed after him as he suddenly pulled back, the smack of their lips echoing through the room.
Leon looked down at her, lip-gloss smudged, he could taste it as he licked his lips. Cherry? His chest heaved, as his brain caught up with him, feeling the clarity of what he had done. He exhaled quickly, then swallowed to clear his dry throat before speaking.
“I’m-”
He tried, at least, only to have his words cut off as she pulled him back down to her by the shoulders. As soon as she had him back, one hand slid up to hold the back of his head, fingers intertwining with his blonde locks. He was sweaty, grimy from the night of fighting and protecting. She was sure she was the same, but the grit only encouraged her to kiss him harder. After all the fighting, all the pain, they deserved this, didn’t they? She had been patient, she had been good; this moment was a long time coming. And it felt so right, she shouldn’t have to stop.
Leon took her reciprocation eagerly, hands holding her face as he obeyed her own kiss. It was only fair to let her take the lead here after he threw himself at her.
Ada’s free hand went to his waist, thumb hooking into his tactical belt and using it to tug his hips down to hers. As soon as they were close, her hand went to his back to hold him against her, her thumb tracing up his spine through the lightweight fabric of his polyester shirt. She had to breathe solely through her nose as his lips were nearly suffocating her.
Their first kiss was something Ada often found herself looking back on. She had initiated it that night. It was simple; enough to get him to stop his cute, worried ramblings. But the way he had kissed her back? He was gentle, slow, but the way he tilted his head into her palm as though his spine turned to jelly under her affection, and his last little push forward, his desire to keep going as she pulled away. It was sweet. He was sweet.
This kiss was different from their first.
This night had it’s own set of emotions, but seeing her again, like this, brought up every possible feeling he had held suppressed for the past six years. This kiss had an anger Leon didn’t know back then. An anger at Umbrella, at her for lying, at her for letting go instead of coming with him. This kiss had a guilt that Leon didn’t know back then. The guilt of surviving, of watching her fall into the depths, of seeing her here now with that terrible virus in her eyes. But this kiss also had a relief that Leon didn’t know back then. A relief to have her here, to hold her in his hands, to feel her heartbeat against his own chest. This kiss was more desperate than the first, years of longing packed so tightly, that when the pressure finally became too much, he had to let it out before he would come undone.
Ada kissed him differently now. She savored it, knowing just how long she’s been wanting to try again. She wanted this ingrained in her mind for the rest of her life. Ada knew there would be a long gap between this encounter and their hypothetical next one. Her thumb caressed circles into his cheekbone, feeling his moan reverberate into her own mouth. Ada hated that she could taste the remnants of his blood as they kissed. And yet she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t even be disgusted. She poured every worry, every fear into his lips, like she was trying to breathe life into him.
Leon huffed, pushing his knee between her thighs. His hand slid down and around to the small of her back, hand fisting into the scarlet knit fabric. He pulled her close until they were chest to chest, until he could feel the way her heart was pounding. He was spurred on by the way Ada’s breath caught in her throat, not giving him the satisfaction of moaning at his touch yet.
Leon pulled away for just enough to redirect himself, planting a kiss on the corner of her lips, then her cheek, then her jawline. His hand that was holding the back of her neck tugged down on her turtleneck, stretching it out as his kisses began their journey down her throat. His lips pecked tiny, unspoken apologies down her darkening veins. The idea of her having felt any amount of the pain he had been going through while infected broke his damn heart.
Ada finally gasped against the side of his head as she felt his lips on her pulse point. She tugged at his hair firmly, resulting in a breathy moan from him in response. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh of disbelief, smiling down at him teasingly.
“What was that?” She asked, grinning. Leon shook his head quickly, mouth still glued to her neck as he attempted to ignore her teasing, mumbling something incoherent. She took that as a challenge. Her neck strained just enough to reach his ear, lowering her voice to a quiet rumble, words spoken for him and him alone.
“You like it when I pull your hair, Handsome?” She goaded, lips pressing against the crown of his head as her leather clad hand tugged some of his hair firmly between her thumb and pointer.
“Jesus, Ada…” God, she loved how he said her name. Like he was coming apart at the seams for her. Like he needed her.
Ada was used to being needed as a tool, as a weapon, hell, she was used to men wanting her body in ways that made her cringe. Ada knew that she was desirable; she wasn’t blind to how men threw themselves at her. But Leon was nothing like those other men. He cherished her. He wanted her safe, even while he was kissing her in such a sinful way, his hand on her back squeezed like a gentle, protective reassurance. Like he was insisting that he was there, that he had her.
“You can’t tease me like that-” Leon whined, pulling back enough to look her in the eyes dreamily through his long lashes. He was grinning like a dumbass, and that alone nearly made her come apart. “It’s not fucking fair…”
Ada took her lip between her teeth as she felt the affection rise in her chest. She tugged his hair again firmly, pulling his head back so she was taller than him for once. She leaned her head down, her lips achingly close to his. She stopped just short of kissing him again, brushing her nose against his.
“Or what?” She grinned right above his lips, feeling his hot breath puffing against her mouth.
Leon scoffed without any real bite behind it, as indicated by his still grinning lips. He leaned back into her, the tension of her grip on his scalp ignored as he kissed under her ear. He held her up against the wall and pushed his knee up higher against her, hand abandoning her waist and shifting down to her thigh. He palmed at her thigh-high leather boots. He could live with her nylon tights keeping her skin covered, but the impenetrable leather frustrated him to no end. He wanted to feel every inch of her, this wasn’t enough. His hand stayed on the hem of her dress, gripping what he could appreciatively.
Leon‘s pointer and middle fingers hooked her neckline down harder as he sucked the flesh of her neck between his teeth, trying so hard to coax a verbal reaction out of her. He was absolutely stretching out her sweater, ruining it. And yet she couldn’t find it in herself to be too upset. Her hips rocked forward against his knee, seeking the friction.
They felt so connected, so viscerally needy for one another at this moment. Ada felt cold everywhere that his hands or lips or chest weren’t touching. Leon felt something screaming in the back of his mind to have her entirely. They weren’t thinking straight, not now. They might never again if they didn't come to their senses soon.
Leon groaned, before finally letting her poor turtleneck go. He had to accept the depressing fact that it wouldn’t give him any more leeway without tearing. And as much as he wanted to do just that, he was still a gentleman. If he was going to rip her clothes off, he would only do so after asking nicely. His hand settled to grip her shoulder as he pushed his head back up to lock their lips again.
His nose pressed into the side of hers as he kissed her hard, lips slotting between hers sloppily as tongue and teeth started to play a factor. Leon reached down to grip the back of her knee in his strong hand, before hoisting her leg up over his hip, dropping his own knee between her thighs as he pulled her flush against his painfully hard self. He was finally rewarded with a soft and subtle moan, feeding right into his mouth.
Ada’s one hand splayed across his back, while her other arm lopped around his neck and locked his head against hers. She rolled her hips into his eagerly, letting her mouth hang open against his as she gasped for air. Her head was buzzing. A throbbing, pulsing heat echoed her skull. That tug was back, and harder than ever. It felt so good to let go, to be here with him. And surprisingly enough, it was that good feeling that brought her back to reality.
The pulsing, the feverish intimacy between them, it wasn’t just their long-suppressed desires bubbling to the surface; it was that damn parasite egging them on. That parasite that would kill them both if she didn’t get the ingredients to Luis. Ada sighed in her moment of clarity, while Leon was still relentlessly kneading her ass and kissing her in all the right ways. He finally pulled away from her lips to return his attention to her neck, giving her the perfect opportunity to get a strained word in.
“Leon…” Ada bit back a moan as she tried to reign in her brief moment of clarity. She could swear Leon growled at her words, pushing himself closer to her, her feet barely touching the ground anymore as he held her in place against the wall.
“Fuck- say that again…” Leon nearly pleaded against her neck.
“No, Leon-” She laughed breathlessly. “We have to stop…I have a job to do…”
Leon made a stubborn sound of disagreement, kissing down her infuriatingly still clothed chest.
“After.” He huffed before lowering her so her feet were back on the ground. Without missing a beat, he began descending to his knees, kisses trailing down her abdomen, hands gripping her thighs as he supported her and kept her upright.
Ada couldn’t stop the needy whine slipping from her lips, head lulling back against the wall as her hands found their way back on his head for stability. She felt him smirk through her dress, pride thrumming through him. His thumbs started to hike up her skirt in such an agonizingly slow fashion and she snapped back to her senses. God, she wanted him to keep going, to praise her with his mouth, to hold her and touch her until they were so close that they melded into one another-
She shook the thoughts away, her hands moving to cradle his face, prying him off of her. She looked him in his eyes, and they looked so desperate she almost felt bad.
“And- you have a job to do…” Her words were shaky as she tried desperately to ignore every primal need inside of her and stand firm."
Leon stopped his journey downward, forehead falling against her abs as he breathed out something that made her freeze up totally.
“Ada, don't make me let go again…”
The heat of the room still lingered, even as the both of them froze. Ada’s eyes blinked out of her haze, looking down at him with shock. His grip on her thighs felt less feverish, less driven by that carnal need. He didn’t let go, but his hold was suddenly so unbelievably tender, like he needed to feel that she was still there.
Ada’s hand moved to his chin, pulling him up just enough to look at her. His eyes were still so tired, those tendrils weren’t enough to make his gaze frighten her. She only saw those baby blues and tried so hard to memorize the hue. Her hands came together to cup his face once more, wishing these damn gloves were off so she could leave her finger prints all over him. She swallowed, trying and failing to say something reassuring or profound.
She wanted to tell him to keep going, to promise this would not be the last time they would see each other, to follow him out of this castle, out of this village, away from the Amber, from Wesker. She wanted to propose they go to some island together, one with fewer zombies, or parasites, or evil corporations, or whatever monsters they always got wrapped up in when they were together. She wanted to apologize for hurting him then, even more so for hurting him now. She had a million things that she wanted to say, but the words were stuck in her throat.
Leon took in her silence, finally seemed to register his own plea, and he visibly cringed.
“Fuck. Sorry.” He pulled her hands off of his face gently, avoiding her gaze as he stood himself up. While his hands held hers a moment longer than necessary, he eventually let them fall away.
Ada cleared her throat, her hand running over her neck in an attempt to smooth down the mess he had made of her neckline.
“It’s fine.” Ada meant to sound reassuring, but her hot and bothered tone tipped towards dismissive without meaning to. She leaned back against the wall as she caught her breath, eyes on the floor as she stewed in what they had done, how close they were to going further. She tugged down her dress, feeling frigid now that they were apart.
Leon’s fingers brushed his hair back from his eyes, a sheepish expression on his face. He felt out of control, if she hadn’t stopped him, he would have fucked her against the damn window without a second thought.
They stayed in that awkward silence before Ada finally cleared her throat, taking a test step forward, seeing if her legs felt anywhere near stable enough to resume her journey around the castle.
“Well then. I guess I should…get back to it.” She said, voice still not entirely recovered.
Leon nodded quickly, before he dropped to his knee, grabbing the gun she had so carelessly discarded earlier, then handing it to her. She was so high on their way to third base, she didn't even remember she had dropped it. If he hadn't grabbed it, she probably would have left it behind like some mere accessory before her walk of shame.
"Thank you." She breathed, before tucking the gun back into her holster.
"Wouldn't want you to be caught without that around here..." He laughed a little at his own joke, still out of breath. She saw the grimace on his lips in response to his own pity laugh, and couldn't help smirking a little. Ada felt that same giddy feeling from earlier, heels clicking on the floor as she stepped then turned back to her original exit plan, the window, ready to leave him with that, only for him to speak up again.
“Where are you off to now?” He asked quickly, as though he wanted to spend the courage he had before it left him.
Ada’s lips spread into a slight smile as she looked back at him over her shoulder. He was watching her while her back was turned, but as soon as their eyes met again, he busied himself with his own holster, examining his ammo count like a nervous kid afraid to be caught staring.
”I’ve got a few more errands… but don’t worry, I’ll behave.” She said lightly, hand still on the windowsill. She had to leave before she’d change her mind, or else they might never leave this room.
“And after that?” Leon asked, pausing his pretend weapons check to glance back up at her.
“Why do you ask? You wanna grab a drink?” She asked playfully. Leon chuckled, a dopey grin penetrating that brief return to his serious facade.
“How about dinner? Maybe a movie?” He retorted.
He was so corny. It would have made her roll her eyes if it were anyone else. But instead, she looked at him with a fond smirk, humming in pretend contemplation.
“Depends on the genre. I’m not really in the mood for anything too scary…”
“-I know someone.” Leon suddenly cut through her joke, that desperate tone rearing its head again. He wanted to stop himself, to seem stronger than he really was and let her go. But he kept going.
“He’s got a cure lined up for the parasite, and he’s offered to help my charge and I- he could help you too…”
Ah yes, Luis. Ada felt her heart stutter at the way Leon was still trying to save her. She didn’t have the heart to inform him that this cure he was banking on was something she already had a hand in.
“Don’t worry about me, Handsome. I’ve made some connections here, too.” Ada insisted.
She stepped one foot back up onto the windowsill, planning to leave him with that cheeky reassurance. But his hand caught her wrist again without his permission. She stared at his grip in shock before her eyes met his.
For a split second, he looked just as surprised as she did, staring at his own hand, but his eyes flicked up to hers as he tried to argue.
Leon's mouth went dry as he made an effort to speak, but his words failed him. He wanted to fight their parting, maybe to propose they do this together, to offer to help her, perhaps if he were sincere enough he could stop her from leaving again. But he couldn’t. He had responsibilities. He had to find Ashley, he had to get her to Luis, to cure them both. The President and his daughter were counting on him, the world was counting on him. Leon reluctantly let go of Ada’s wrist, giving her permission to go. He forced a smirk, hoping it would mask his disappointment.
“I guess I can’t doubt you’ll find your way out of here.” He said softly.
He looked at her one last time, drinking her in, memorizing this moment. The way the moonlight gave her dark hair a cooler highlight from behind, her lips, still red, swollen, and smudged by his doing. The flush in her face, the slight shine of her face. In spite of the danger they were both in, he still felt drawn to the dark tendrils that surrounded her eyes. She looked so beautiful, it nearly killed him.
He knew he would see her again before the night was over, he felt it in his gut. He didn’t know if it would be a happy reunion, or if they would be forced into conflict again. But this encounter, as confusing, frustrating, and riveting as it was, was coming to an end.
“You always do.”
Ada’s face was unreadable to him for what felt like forever. Not quite looking at him, not exactly avoiding his gaze either. There was a bit of pride that shot through him when he caught her smiling at the button on his statement. And that subtle shake of her head, something he could perceive as either annoyance or fondness. Ada tilted her head as she looked at him. Leon wished he could read her mind.
That he could know her inside and out.
But for now, all he could have was her words, and whatever glimpse of her true intentions he could interpret.
“I always do.” Ada confirmed simply. Hey would give anything to have this moment be every dream he'd have from now until the day he died. But that wouldn't be enough either. No matter how many times his brain could conjure her, it would never amount to the real thing, right here, and right now.
She nodded back towards a spot deeper in the Bindery, catching his gaze and throwing it to a glass case by the bookshelf. Inside was a stone tablet with weathered red markings.
“You’ll need four of those tablets to get through this room, I’m sure you can figure out the rest without breaking a sweat.” Her tone was light, nonchalant in spite of how hard she was gripping at the frame of the window her foot on the ground shifting, leaning her weight onto the windowsill.
Leon looked in the direction she indicated towards, spotting the tablet without issue.
“Thanks for the-” He started, looking back to where she was, only to see the empty window once again. Leon’s heart cracked, but he chuckled to himself, shaking his head exasperatedly.
“Yeah. Figures…”
He didn’t dwell on his disappointment for long. He had a different puzzle to solve, one that didn’t have its lip-gloss still smudge on his raw lips. He scrubbed his lips clean with the back of his hand. Or, as clean as they could be. Then he walked across the room, because duty called.
Ada stood out in the night underneath the window, eyes glued to the warm light inside. She waited longer than she should have. There was a selfish, annoying part of her that was waiting for him to follow her through that window, to continue the chase. But he didn’t. She didn’t want him to. Of course not. That would be stupid of him. Of her. Of them both.
She could blame the pang of disappointment on the Plagas swimming in her skull. Ada pushed herself off of the wall and trailed down the scaffolding connected to the old masonry. Her fingers found their way to her swollen lips as she walked, already missing his. Maybe she could blame that on the Plagas too.