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Wesker had told her once to take Leon out, his demanding voice filtering through her comm, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. But he had been serious, Ada knew that just from the sound of his voice.
That was already a few months ago. Ada smirked a little, straightening her long sleeve, but low-cut, deep claret dress. This probably wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
It was a cold December evening, and the forecast had said to expect snow. So Ada had wrapped a white shawl tight around her shoulders, pinning it with a ruby brooch. She had always worn nice clothes, but for some reason, tonight she had paid attention to her appearance even more than before.
The pounding of footsteps drew her attention to the concrete stairs that led up to Leon’s apartment. The footsteps paused at the top of the last flight as Leon caught sight of Ada standing at the bottom. He was frozen, his white dress shirt sleeves rolled up, one foot on a lower step than the other.
“You really came,” he whispered.
“Did you think I’d be a no-show?” She teased, placing a hand on her hip.
“No,” he said, coming down the stairs slowly. He had slicked his hair to the side and she could see both his blue eyes more clearly. She had always admired how bright they were, and now she felt a thrill race through her as he took a step towards her. “To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to think."
“Fair enough,” Ada said, “But… I have been looking forward to tonight.”
He still seemed wary, almost as if he was expecting her to throw something at him, or to disappear at any moment, his brows drawn together. He took in a deep breath.
“Okay… this was your idea, Ada. So where are we going?”
She offered him a wink, “It’s a short walk.” And then held out her arm. He hesitated, a faint flush rising in his cheeks, and she offered him a little pout. “You’re going to let a woman freeze to death on a night like this?” He laughed a little, shaking his head once before slipping his arm into hers. She pulled him close as they walked together, sharing their warmth, side-by-side.
“Better?” He asked.
“Significantly,” she said, squeezing his arm gently.
They walked in quiet for a little while as the sky grew darker, and then Leon spoke. “Ada… what convinced you to…” he trailed off and she watched with pleasure as his face reddened again.
“Ask you out?” She smirked, bumping against him a little. He paused in their walk, turning to face her with a frown.
“Yes.”
“Is this an interrogation?” she asked smoothly, her smile never once faltering. She liked teasing him, to see him flustered and puzzled. It was cute .
“No.” Leon said, “I’ve wanted to….” he cleared his throat, glancing away, a frown on his face. “Er… well…”
“Cat got your tongue, Leon?”
He shook his head. “Nevermind. Where are we going?”
She felt a little disappointed, but she didn’t want to push him. Since Raccoon City she had always felt something for him… something more than she did for any other person she encountered in her work. Leon was always on her mind. And when she saw him in Spain… when Wesker had given her that order… She felt sick just thinking about it. The thought of losing Leon, despite his seemingly miraculous ability to survive , was terrifying. She had only just realized it in the moment Wesker had told her that Krauser was to take care of Leon. The panic that had built up in her middle… she had realized then that she couldn’t waste another moment… not without him .
She had no plans past tonight. And as much as she made Leon flustered, maybe he didn’t feel the same way about her. Something told her it was worth a shot, despite the lives they led, despite being such opposites, despite their paths seeming to diverge in completely different directions.
“Here we are!” She said as they turned the corner. The restaurant was a rather fancy place, warranting their dress clothes. She had reserved a table for two a month ago, knowing that a night like tonight it might be busy.
Leon’s eyes widened, “I see why you said to dress up.”
Ada smiled, “I hope you like Italian.”
Their table was in a little corner by the window. Ada could see the street lamps flickering on outside as it grew dark. Their waiter brought them a fancy bottle of wine but she wasn’t even really able to pay attention to her menu.
Leon was focused on his own menu across from her, his wine untouched. He was handsome. Ada had always thought that of him. But for some reason tonight it was different. She couldn’t decide what it was. His hair? The outfit? His tie, under his satin blue vest, was red, her favorite color. She wondered for just a moment if he had picked it with her in mind. But the touch of Leon’s hand against hers made her shake the thought away.
“Ada?” She glanced up to see the waiter standing at the end of their table, Leon looked almost concerned. “Are you ready to order?”
“Yes,” she said, setting aside her menu. “Of course.” She offered Leon a smile and felt a warmth in her cheeks as she realized that he hadn’t moved his hand from hers yet. What was it about him now, the softness in his expression… the warmth in his cool blue eyes… So cute. Just something that made her want to kiss him senseless until he couldn’t think straight. Had she had detailed thoughts like this before? The desire to nip his lower lip, to trail her hands down his firm chest and pull him closer by his belt… before undoing the clasp .
Leon drew his hand away quickly, “Sorry,” he said, his face bright red.
“Why?” Ada said, offering him a frown of concern, “I hope I didn’t give you the impression that I didn’t like it.” Then, without missing a beat, she turned to look out at where the street lights were flickering over the city street. “Do you think it’ll snow tonight?”
“Maybe,” Leon murmured, absent-mindedly. He reached out and took her hand again, and Ada smiled.
When they left the restaurant, late, Leon didn’t hesitate to hold out his arm for Ada to take. She leaned against him as they walked. It was even colder now, and she could see her breath on the air. It was a quiet night, despite the impending festivities of the new year.
“That was nice,” Leon said, breaking the silence. “I… I guess we’ve never really sat down to get to know each other before.”
Ada offered him a warm smile, stepping away from him to look him in the eyes, “Next time we meet I’ll have to bring you something sweet. Chocolate from the Netherlands? Pastries from Paris?”
“My sweet tooth is what you settle on remembering?” Leon laughed.
Ada smiled, tucking her short hair behind her ear and reaching out to take his hand. “I remember a lot of things,” she said. “How you prefer your coffee black, but you like to have a pastry with it. I know you call your mom every Saturday, just to make sure she’s doing alright. I know that when you’re nervous you tap your fingers against your side. I know you used to want a dog… but not after Raccoon City. And I know that when you’re happy… you smile like you’re smiling right now.” She took a step closer to him.
“ You make me happy,” Leon whispered, his eyes lidded as he looked down at her through his lashes.
“Good!” Ada said, offering him a teasing smile, “Because I’m not ready to say goodnight quite yet! After all, it is New Year’s eve. We have to stay up till midnight. Come on, handsome. We’ve got another stop on our itinerary.”
“Itinerary?!” Leon laughed as Ada pulled him down the street.
“It’s only nine. We’ve got three whole hours before we greet the new year,” she paused, glancing up at him with a longing look in her eyes. “I want to spend them with you .” She watched with satisfaction as his face grew flushed again. Cute.
“Alright then,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Lead the way.”
Downtown was still lit up by lights left over from the holiday season, and Ada led Leon past the shops. Their stops included one for a box of pastries, another for warm drinks, and then she pulled him on, through town, towards the large park by the waterfront. But before they could make it to the park, Leon pulled Ada to a stop in the shadow of the last building—the old library.
“Look,” he breathed, pointing up. Ada leaned closer to him, glancing up under the streetlight just beyond where they stood. There… thick, white flakes were just beginning to fall.
“Snow,” Ada smiled. Leon took her hand and pulled her out under the streetlamp as if it were a spotlight on the sidewalk. The snow was falling heavier now, as Leon carefully set aside the box of pastries and their hot chocolates and pulled her taut against him in a simple dance.
“What’s this?” Ada grinned, wrapping one arm over his shoulders.
“It’d be a shame for us to wear these nice clothes and not dance at least once,” he smiled, snow dotting his hair and melting on his cheeks. They danced for a bit, and he spun her once or twice, pulling her back close to him after each time. She imagined kissing him again, like she had too often since their first kiss. And when their imaginary song seemed to be coming to an end, she leaned close, their noses brushing. But Leon pulled away. Underneath his warm expression, she saw confusion and a serious demeanor.
“What’s wrong?” Ada asked. He bit his lip, turning away from her.
“I’ve been thinking a lot tonight,” he whispered. “The last time I saw you was…”
“Spain…” Ada finished.
“Yeah,” he said, “Ada… We should talk about Spain.”
She hoped he would just let it be for tonight. She wanted to tell him everything. Everything about her past, about why she chose this path for her life, but tonight she just wanted to know where his feelings lay. She wanted to be selfish, to have him for herself—a perfect start to the new year. “What about it?” she asked.
“I have… about a thousand questions. You already know that, don’t you? But I won’t ask any of them, because…” he sounded almost bitter, making Ada frown, “I know I won’t get an answer anyways.”
“Hey,” she said, but he interrupted before she could continue.
“Listen,” He said, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about any of that yet.” His expression softened. “I trust you. And… I hope you trust me enough to tell me about it all someday.”
She felt her heart skip a beat. “Of course,” she whispered.
“When you’re ready, I’m here for you, Ada.”
She glanced away. How can he be like this? So flawlessly sweet, and kind, and genuine… even after everything I’ve done.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She glanced up at him with a bright smile, hoping he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes.
“You… you’re perfect, Leon Kennedy. Never change.” She cupped his cheek and pressed a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth. He flushed pink as she pulled away and she smiled in satisfaction at the sight, before reaching down to grasp her hot chocolate. “Now come on. We have to go or we’ll be late for the show.”
“Ada, wait!” Leon laughed, barely having enough time to pick up his own drink and the pastries before she dragged him along to the park and up the short trail to the top of the park’s tall hill. She found a bench to sit on after she swiped the falling snow away, and pulled Leon down beside her, leaning on his arm.
“Just a few minutes left,” she said.
From the hill, they could see the bay. And she knew that every year on New Year’s Eve they launched their huge firework display from a boat on the bay at exactly midnight.
After a few moments of silence, watching the snow fall, pressing close together, Leon finally spoke. “You never really answered my question. What inspired this?” He said. His hair was a little messy, coming out of the neat way he had combed it to the side. He was so close to her, their noses nearly brushing. It felt warm and intimate and for once she decided to share the honest truth with him, her heartbeat quickening as she whispered,
“I’ve always wanted this… with you , Leon.” His eyes flitted to her lips, but she pulled away suddenly. “And! Well… Spain made me realize some things. Or, rather, seeing you there made me realize some things I suppose. And… here we are.” He studied her for a minute and nodded, glancing out towards the bay. Ada reached for the box of pastries and held them out to Leon.
He laughed, nudging her gently. “Are you trying to appease my curiosity with food?” But he took the pastry and took a big bite. Ada let out a sigh, leaning against his shoulder as she set the box aside, selecting her own sweet. It was still snowing hard, but Leon was warm. He glanced at his watch as he chewed. “Two minutes to go. You really want to start the new year with me ?”
“Why do you ask it like that?” Ada asked, turning to him with a small laugh. “So surprised? I didn’t ask you out on a date for no reason, Leon. And I hope that… in the new year I might be able to take you out more often,” she smiled, “I care about you more than you know.”
“I’ve always cared about you too…” He smiled a little. “I can never get you out of my head.” 10… 9…
“I guess that makes two of us then,” Ada said softly, setting aside her pastry. 7… 6… 8… Snow was dotting and melting on Leon’s flushed cheeks and in his hair. 5… 4… 3… He had cinnamon and sugar at the corner of his lips, from the baked good, and Ada reached up gently brushing it away with her thumb, cupping his cheek. “I can’t get you out of my head either.” 2… 1…
As the first firework streaked up into the sky above the bay, Ada tilted her head and kissed Leon softly on the lips. He drew in a breath leaning into her touch, kissing her back fervently. She could taste the cinnamon and sugar on his lips. The flash of the fireworks lit up the snowy landscape around them as Ada pulled away, just enough to look the young man in the eyes. “Happy New Year, Leon,” she whispered.
He flushed, a grin of his own touching his lips. “Happy New Year,” he murmured, thumb brushing against her cheek, before closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss her once again.