Chapter Text
Leon’s tired. He’s tired, and he’s covered in dirt, blood, and god knows what else, and he would very much like to be out of this damned laboratory.
There’s a keycard around here somewhere. Or, at least, Leon hopes there is. He can see pretty clearly through the tiny glass window that he’s supposed to keep heading north, but the two-inch-thick metal door is a bit of an obstacle.
He’s tracked through the main room for the umpteenth time when he notices a thin strip of light from underneath one of the office doors. Hm, had he checked that one?
He readies his gun as he pushes it open, scanning the room quickly but finding nothing of note. It’s just as destroyed as the rest of the lab, a giant blood splatter across some chemical equations on the white board.
Leon sighs and starts poking through the desk in the corner.
“Looking for something?”
Leon's gun is trained on her in an instant, though she appears unbothered. He curses at himself under his breath, a dawning awareness of the distance between himself and the door.
“Why are you here?” He’s not interested in her teasing, even if the sound of her voice makes his stomach do excited somersaults. It's been, what? Two years since he's seen her?
Not that he's counting.
Ada just shakes her head dismissively. “Passing through.”
“Yeah, right.” Leon chances it, takes a step forward. She raises her eyebrows but doesn’t react.
“Try the bottom drawer.” She suggests, gesturing to the desk.
Leon pauses, staring her down. His trust is not good these days.
But, god, he’s tired.
He lowers his weapon and turns to open the drawer.
Inside is a deep red envelope. He feels almost guilty handling it with his dirty hands.
Popping it open, he finds two things. One, to his relief, is the keycard. It’s just a thin white card, but it’s unmistakable from the other ones he’s used in the lab.
The other is a piece of paper, which he unfolds to find some neatly typed text: Happy Valentine’s Day, Leon.
(It’s the 14th? It’s February? He’d honestly forgotten. He’s tired.)
Leon turns back to find Ada gone, vanished without a sound. The lab feels quiet, almost empty without her.
He sighs, slipping the keycard in his pocket.
After a moment of consideration, the note joins it.