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Leon shoved his hands in his pocket, leaning against his apartment door. It was past midnight, really the only time he could be calm. The dark didn’t make him jumpy the way crowds did. It was better now , almost a whole year after the Raccoon City Incident. But he still didn’t feel 100% like himself, he wondered if he ever would. It was hard to sleep, it was hard to go out. It was hard to be . Memories of that awful day still plaguing him like nightmares at night and visions during the day. He gritted his teeth.
He needed to get out, to get his mind off of it. He locked his door and began his descent down the stairs to the ground floor. Outside it was cool, refreshing after the hot days they’d been having recently. The clear air woke him up and soon he found himself walking towards downtown. None of the shops would be open, except for maybe the gas station on the corner, but he didn’t mind. He just wanted to walk by the water, see the lights reflecting in the stillness there, countdown from some obscure high number and hope that once he got to zero he had exhausted himself enough to sleep dreamlessly.
He was just making it to the edge of the water when the familiar sound of heels tapping on the sidewalk drew his attention behind him and he turned, meeting her teasing smile before he could even say anything.
“Leon, you’re out late.”
“Yeah, well…” he gritted his teeth, turning away from her and kicking a pebble hard into the water. “Can’t sleep. As per usual.” Then he paused, turning to her and offering her a soft smile. “But, I’m really glad you’re here.”
He had seen Ada Wong once or twice before, after Raccoon City. The first time had been hard. He had so many questions and so much hurt and anger to deal with. But time after time he grew to understand her, even just a little bit, to be closer to her, to let other feelings grow stronger in place of his confusion and hurt. Now, she was a comfort to him—one of the only people who knew the hell he had gone through to save that god-forsaken city, only for it to be razed to the ground.
“How can I help?” Ada asked, reaching out and resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Well,” he said, offering her a grin, “I was just thinking about getting something to eat. How do you feel about ice cream?”
They sat on a bench by the water, two bags from the gas station at Leon’s feet. He had bought paper plates, plastic spoons, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel syrup.
“Tada! Gas station sundae,” he said, handing Ada her bowl.
“You make it sound so appealing,” she smiled.
Leon frowned, taking a bite from his own bowl, but he didn’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking… if it wasn’t 1am I’d take you somewhere nice,” he said, “You deserve better.”
“This is good,” Ada said, taking a bite of her ice cream and licking her lips, “And I’m with you.” She smiled, meeting his gaze. “So, this is nice. Right where I want to be. Look,” she gestured out to the still water with her spoon, “You can see the moon on the water. It’s beautiful.”
Leon glanced out over the water, taking a bite of his ice cream at the same time and letting the sweet vanilla and toppings melt in his mouth. It was pretty, he couldn’t deny it. But it was his own personal opinion that the location didn’t matter. The fact that he was with Ada was enough to make him happy. It was a strange thought, but after all they had been through he felt that maybe it was fitting.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said at last, and he didn’t elaborate, kicking a little pebble at his feet and watching it skid across the sidewalk.
“Me too,” Ada said, taking his hand in hers, much to his surprise, and entwining their fingers together. He jerked his head towards her to meet her eyes, and she smiled, her eyes warm with laughter. “You’ve got something on your lip. Here… let me help.” Before Leon could protest she set her bowl of ice cream aside, cupping his cheek with her free hand and brushing her thumb over his lower lip, wiping away whipped cream.
They were still for one moment, realizing how close they were, hand-in-hand. And then Ada closed the distance between them, hesitating just once when their noses touched, before kissing him firmly on the lips. Leon’s heart skipped a beat as he tilted his head letting her kiss him hard. When she pulled away, they were both breathless, and she rested her forehead against his.
“Say I’ll see you again,” Leon whispered.
“No promises,” Ada replied, “But I think so.”
He wanted to press her for a date, a time, a place… he wanted to know how long he’d have to wait. But he knew that she wouldn’t be able to tell him, even if she wanted to. She seemed to know what he was thinking, brushing her thumb across his jaw.
“Soon,” she said. “Try and get some sleep, Leon.”
And then she stood, standing in the moonlight by the still water she was beautiful, and he smiled.
“Ada.”
She turned back once more, the pale light of the moon gracing her features, her lips turned up in a soft half-smile. “Yes?”
“I’ll wait for you,” he said, his heart pounding.
She nodded, and then seemed to slip away into the shadows, and all that was left was the moon and the sound of her tapping heels growing more distant in the silent night.