Work Text:
Raccoon City, 1998
A.K.A., The Middle of Nowhere
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The road was barren. Nothing but miles of crusted dirt and withered grass in sight. Their only chance of a rescue came and went, the whole ordeal amounting to nothing more than their group being flipped off by a truck driver as he headed into the heart of Raccoon City. Leon raised his gun, thinking that maybe, just maybe it would be better to save the driver from the terrible fate that laid ahead. But in the end, he lowered it and watched as the truck barrelled away.
"So much for a rescue," Sherry grumbled.
"Someone else will come along." Claire knelt down to Sherry's height and took her hand. She did all that she could to muster a heartfelt smile. "I'm sure of it."
"We need to keep moving," Leon said. He tore his eyes away from the truck and faced the girls. "We don't have much daylight left."
Leon winced as he raised his hand to shield his brow from the sun. He brought it back down and seethed through the sharp pain coursing throughout his shoulder.
"Hey... How's your arm?" Claire asked, though by the concerned expression upon her face, it seemed she already knew the answer.
"It's fine," he lied. He brought a hand to his now hours-old bandage and grimaced as his fingers returned with fresh stains of blood. "I think the adrenaline from Raccoon City is just wearing off is all."
Claire let go of Sherry's hand and walked to Leon. He could play the tough-guy-act all he wanted with the girl, but not with her. Perched on her toes, she whispered harshly into his ear.
"Your bandages are getting redder by the minute. We both know your gunshot wound hasn't sealed up at all."
"Yeah, well, fighting infecteds for the past several hours hasn't exactly helped with that," he hissed back. "First we get the kid to safety, and then we worry about me, okay?"
"Fine," Claire growled. She let out a sharp sigh before speaking again, this time in a somewhat gentler voice. His incessant façade frustrated her to no end- that was true- but at the root of it all, she couldn't help but feel genuine concern. "Just... tell me if it gets worse, alright?"
"Of course."
Being who he was, the Rookie answered with poise; yet, his body betrayed his words all the same. The way he clenched his jaw to force a smile; The way he couldn't bring himself to look her straight in the eyes; The way he shifted ever-so-slightly in an attempt to hide the severity of his wound. Being who she was, it told Claire all she needed to know:
It was another lie-
- And not a great one either, not for anyone who had spent more than five minutes with Leon S. Kennedy at least. But just as Claire knew him to be the kind to put up a front for the sake of the group, she knew it would be pointless to try and get him to admit otherwise. As long as Birkin's little girl was with them, there was zero possibility he would cave.
Claire turned on her heels and laced her fingers through Sherry's again; it was time to tell a lie of her own:
"Leon's alright, don't worry."
And yet, something about "don't worry" made it twice as worse. Sherry glanced over her shoulder and frowned as she saw Leon clutch his arm. The moment he caught her staring, he let go and gave her a sheepish smile. Sherry looked away and squeezed Claire's hand. Yeah. Don't worry.
⬩⬩❖⬩⬩
The sun was almost down. It felt as if they were walking for hours, though without any working piece of technology, it was impossible to know for sure how long they had been out in this wasteland. Claire was still going strong, but Sherry was growing tired, and Leon had begun to lag behind.
"Damn, deserts really do get cold at night," Leon remarked as he felt a chill trickle down his spine.
"It's not that cold," Sherry replied. And wearing a thin school uniform, she should have been much more susceptible to the chill than Leon who still wore his heavy police attire- a red flag considering his current condition. The brief exchange set off alarm bells for Claire. Once more, she let go of Sherry and fell back to Leon's side. Though it was dark, she could tell some color had drained from his face. He swayed as she put a hand to his head.
"Shit. You're burning up."
"I said I'm-"
"You're not fine." His voice was weak, his skin clammy. Bleeding in the desert with no water hadn't been doing him any favors over the past few hours- and now, neither was the cold. "... But you will be just as soon as we get out of here."
"How, Claire? How are we going to get off of this dirt road? We haven't seen anyone since that trucker however many miles back."
"Even if we had, let's be honest: We look awful. And who knows how well anyone else is informed about Raccoon City."
"At the very least, they should know to stay the hell away. I wouldn't even be surprised if some people from neighboring towns fled to escape the spread."
"Leon..." Claire slowly turned to face the horizon. "How far away do you think we are from the nearest town?"
"It's hard to say. From the nearest building? We still have a ways to go by foot."
"But from the nearest traffic? I know it's dark, but that smudge out there along the horizon... Any chance it could be someone's car?"
She pointed straight ahead. Sure enough, there was something up the road, though the only certainty was that it was dark and held a vaguely rectangular shape. If it was indeed a vehicle of sorts, it must have either been broken down or simply turned off; Claire sincerely hoped for the latter.
"I don't know," Leon squinted as he peered into the distance. "It's kind of hazy." Normally, he was better at those sorts of things- it was Police Academy 101 to be able to identify any type of motor vehicle- but tonight, his senses failed him. His vision blurred in his peripherals. His head spun if he stared at something for too long. It was impossible to tell if what he was looking at was a car, a tree, or something else entirely. In an attempt to get a better look, Leon leaned forward. Next thing he knew, it was like the Earth gave out from under him, and he was suddenly being drawn towards its centre.
Claire stifled a gasp and moved to catch his fall. She slid an arm around his torso to serve as an anchor, the other planted firmly against his chest. They were close- very close. A short hiss of pain escaped gritted teeth. Leaning against her, the man became a furnace. Febricity penetrated even his clothes.
"I- I'm okay." He sounded flustered as he tried to right himself. "Sorry, I must be more tired than I thought."
"Tired, right." Claire waited until Leon looked steady enough before letting go of his side. Seeing him wince and reach across his body, as if to guard the spot she had just touched, Claire furrowed her brows. "Do you think you can make it to whatever that is?"
Leon gave a curt nod. Claire turned to the girl.
"Hold on tight, Sherry-" Leon- "I think we may have a way out of here."
With Claire leading the way, it took all Leon had to just barely keep up. His shoulder- that was one thing. If he dared so much as to swing it in stride, a deep shrill pain would rip across his wound and disperse down his arm; his once greige bandages had become all but soaked in crimson- And then there was his brewing infection. He wasn't lying when he said he was tired; he was exhausted. His whole body ached. It felt like shards of ice were coursing throughout his veins. It was practically a miracle he even made as far as he did.
The group eventually made it to the object in the distance. Luckily, it was indeed what Claire thought it would be. The black smudge was a black Jeep. With its lights turned off and no one in the front seat, it appeared to have been abandoned on the side of the road. For what reason, nobody knew, but they prayed it was still operational.
"Damn it!" Claire jiggled the handle on the driver's side. "It's locked."
"I've got it," Leon grunted as he staggered towards the car door. He raised his good arm and jabbed his elbow into the window. He let out a scream through gritted teeth as the glass shattered beneath his weight. His entire upper body felt the force of the impact reverberating to his shoulder. For just a moment, his vision faded to black, but he soon came to his senses as he felt Claire's touch against his chest, saving him from falling.
Again.
"Thanks," he winced in utter defeat. Leon could see the ghost of a smile upon Claire's face as she eased him to the ground. For as much self-respect as he had, she received no protest from him. Her lips moved as if she was saying something in return, but he couldn't make out a thing through the ringing in his ears. A brief moment later, he felt a click through the metal door. It was shortly followed by Claire returning to his side and helping him up.
"I'm driving, by the way," Claire smirked as she carefully sat Leon in the back.
"What, you don't want me behind the wheel?" Leon jested through a pained grin. He leaned against the window, trying to seem nonchalant about the matter, but the brief moment of relaxation all but begged his body to collapse against the seats.
"Ha, after Raccoon City? Not a chance. Sherry, you're in the front with me."
"Really?" In all that went wrong that day, the small privilege of riding shotgun was enough to bring a smile to the twelve-year-old's face.
Whoever's Jeep this was, they didn't leave behind any keys, but it was no matter. Hot-wiring a car wasn't too different from hot-wiring a motorcycle. When she finally got the engine to start, she took a look at the fuel gauge.
"About a quarter tank left," she sighed. "That's better than nothing I suppose. You hanging in there, Leon?"
Claire glanced at him through the rear-view mirror. He was strewn across the backseat. Still conscious, but barely at that.
"Yeah," he rasped. His voice came out weaker than intended, but he couldn't bring himself to correct it. Not anymore. Finally having the chance to rest, his body felt impossibly heavy. His blood felt like glass. His head pounded with each breath he took.
He must have blacked out again, because he didn't remember when the car had begun to move, but they were suddenly on the road. In his moments of consciousness, Leon could hear voices he knew belonged to Claire and Sherry, but he couldn't for the life of him make out what they were saying. Sometimes he could feel himself trying to murmur a reply, but his words were just as unintelligible as his hearing. Before long, even time became a blur. As he drifted in and out, the only sensation he could recognize was pain. Drenched in a cold sweat, a pulse from his wound would arc across his chest to his rapidly beating heart. Every time the car lurched from a bump in the road, Leon wanted to scream- but he couldn't. Not with Sherry and Claire right there. Instead, labored breaths would escape from his lips, each one laced with sounds of hurt.
His dizzying haze shifted in a jolt as he felt the Jeep come to a stop. He heard the car door open and shut. Then the sound of voices. Then the car door again. More voices. Swirls of light mixed with dancing black spots. And then... nothing. Nothing but darkness.
⬩⬩❖⬩⬩
While he was out, the events from Raccoon City played in his head like a broken record. It all started out with him being nothing more than a rookie cop late as hell on his first day. He hadn't even made it to the precinct before the damned apocalypse started. There was a vivid image of a zombie smearing blood on the window of his patrol vehicle. He remembered the pure terror in Claire's eyes as she was sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. His next memory was of the car crash that followed shortly after. The two were separated by a wall of flames, a smog of burning flesh so pungent it stung his eyes. They managed to find each other at a gate in the pouring rain. God, the sense of relief that washed over him once he saw she hadn't been turned. He didn't want to leave her- he couldn't leave her to face the infecteds alone- but they had to go their separate ways. An explosion followed by a wave of enemies made sure of that. But then... that's when he met her.
Ada.
He took a bullet for the woman without a second thought. And despite what it led to, despite who Ada was revealed to be, he'd be damned if he wouldn't do it again.
He protected her while she was wounded.
He held her hand as she dangled from the crumbling walkway.
"Don't do this." There was so much fear wrought in his voice. Every fibre of his being was holding onto hers for dear life, but the look in her eyes as she hung over the abyss... She was ready to accept her fate- accept death.
"Take care of yourself, Leon."
Her hand slipped from his grasp. His fingers curled only to meet nothing but air. All he could do was watch as her body plummeted into the inky darkness below. Despite being inches away from his own certain death, Leon remembered waiting for that dreaded thud, knowing all the while that nobody- not even Ada- could survive the fall. And yet, that sound never came. But neither did she...
He escaped Raccoon City on a train. Not Ada. Not the scientists. Leon thought it might have just been him until he saw the other her.
Claire.
She was alive. Smiling. Because they had both survived the impossible. She wasn't sad or scared; she was full of comfort and joy. It was almost cruel how his mind switched so seamlessly from one to the other- From Ada to Claire. From a martyr to a survivor. From his darkness to his light.
These scenes, these visceral memories, they played over and over and over again. Each cycle of death- Ada- would end with his solace- Claire.
It was torture.
Ada. Claire. Ada. Claire. Ada. Claire. Ada-
"Claire!"
He gasped as he woke up to a blinding white light shining overhead.
"I'm right here, Leon."
He felt her hand rest gently against his leg. For a moment, he questioned its authenticity, but no: The nightmare was over. This was real.
"Where... Where are we?"
His arms felt like lead. One was hooked up to an IV drip. The other was freshly bandaged and wrapped in a sling. As his eyes adjusted, he could see that they were in some sort of hospital or clinic. He winced as he tried to sit up to get a better view.
"Don't push yourself." Claire held her arm against his back to prop him up. "You were out for a while."
"Claire, where are we?"
"Some sort of quarantine zone the military set up outside of Raccoon City, just in case anyone like us made it out alive. But..."
"We were the only ones, weren't we."
It felt strange saying it aloud. Raccoon City was a hellscape. Leon had never seen so much blood and fire and destruction in his life, not even in the movies. Every living person he met had either succumbed to the virus or was killed before that could happen. He didn't expect many to escape the city... but none?
"They don't know for sure," she admitted. "But it looks grim."
"I should've figured as much," Leon let out a sigh. "Damn, I feel like I've been hit by a bus."
"Yeah, well, sepsis will do that to you."
"Sepsis? Shit." Leon shook his head. "I guess trudging through the sewers with an open gunshot wound wasn't the best idea, huh."
"Nope, and neither was fighting mutant infecteds with a chipped shoulder and fractured ribs. Adrenaline must be one hell of a drug."
"Yeah, no kidding..."
Their conversation drifted into silence. Leon became fixated on Claire's stormy blue gaze, and she his of azure sea. They were, for once- if but for a moment- at peace.
"Thanks, by the way, for getting me here and all. You saved my life. I guess this means I owe you one."
"Don't be ridiculous. I couldn't have gotten out of Raccoon City without you. I say that makes us even."
Another moment of silence fell between the two. Claire retracted her hand and shifted in her seat. She looked down into her lap; Leon tilted his head to the side.
"Is something on your mind?"
"You uh... mumbled some things while you were out. You kept saying this girl's name-" and mine- "Ada?"
Leon's heart dropped. He tore his gaze away from Claire. The less she knew about Ada, the better.
"She was in Raccoon City, too. Didn't make it."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's... It's alright. What about Sherry? Where is she?"
A worrying pause.
"The military... took her into custody."
"They what?" Leon jolted, seething as his ribs screamed in protest.
"Jeez! Don't hurt yourself." Claire shifted from her chair to the side of Leon's bed. She brushed her thumb over his uninjured hand. Leon glanced down, then looked back to Claire.
"Part of the quarantine zone's protocol was to test us for the G-Virus. Obviously, we all came back negative, but they found the antibodies in Sherry's bloodstream. They want to do some... tests on her."
"And you just let them take her away?!"
"I didn't just 'let' them, Leon. They're the military, and you-! You were dying."
Claire's voice became soft. Her fingers intertwined with his as she choked on her words.
"I didn't know if you were going to live or not. By the time we got here, you..." She closed her eyes and shuddered as she recalled just how pale and listless he had become on that car ride, how his skin boiled to the touch, how he struggled to breathe through broken ribs and a much too rapid pulse. He was at death's door and there was nothing more she could do but pray to whatever gods were out there that he would make it through the night.
Leon gently swept his thumb across the surface of her hand.
"I didn't mean to scare you like that," he apologized in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, well... at least I know you're better now." Yet, she couldn't bring herself to look at Leon.
"Claire..." His forehead creased. The edges of his lips curled to a gentle frown as he leaned in close to her. He cupped a hand to her cheek to wipe away the warm tears that had silently fallen upon them. Claire wasn't sure when those had appeared- she hadn't meant for them to. Owing to the sudden revelation, she brought a fist to the other side of her face and hastily dried her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she chuckled. She took his hand, sliding it in between two of her own, and brought it down to rest. "I don't know what came over me."
"Don't be," he insisted. Leon looked at her with earnest. "Me, you, and Sherry- We went to hell and back and survived. We survived the fucking apocalypse. I don't even want to know how many times each of us nearly bit the dust."
"Yeah... Yeah, I guess you're right."
He wasn't.
Well, he was, albeit only to a certain extent. Maybe she would begin to feel the aftermath of Raccoon City later, but strangely enough the part that terrified her the most out of everything from that day... It wasn't having a gun pointed at her, nor was it being chased by a Tyrant or having Sherry nearly be turned. With all those things and more, no matter how dire the situation was, she was always in control. Always. But with Leon...
He should have been nobody- just a man she happened to run into in the midst of disaster who wanted to get out just as bad as she did. Putting it in that perspective, he really was just nobody, but how could 'just nobody' pull at her heartstrings the way he did? How could she take but one look at 'just nobody' and altogether melt away? Even now, staring into his gentle gaze, tenderly holding his still-too-weak hand between her own, she was completely enraptured by this man before her.
By this 'nobody.'
Leon studied Claire's face; her eyes told him everything. Behind that set of griseous lapis were unspoken tales of contention and strife. They were mired by a warm touch and smitten grin- Leon wasn't even sure if Claire knew they were there or not- but they were present all the same. As such, he couldn't help but feel something was wrong... Wrong about all of this. Outbreak aside, none of this was meant to happen. He wasn't supposed to be injured and confined to a bed, and Claire wasn't supposed to be there alongside him. She was supposed to be out there, looking for Chris, making sure that he was okay. And something told Leon that unless someone intervened, he would continue to keep her from doing just that- And he couldn't do that, not without a guilty conscience.
"You should be looking for your brother," he finally spoke.
"I... what?" Claire seemed surprised. "But you and Sherry-"
"We'll be fine, and I mean it this time, I swear. We're safe now, and I wish I could say the same for your brother, but I can't. If he was even remotely involved with what happened in Raccoon City, even if it was just investigating what was going on... You need to find him, Claire, and he needs to know you're alright too."
Claire let go and buried her hands into the folds of the hospital bedding. She pursed her lips and looked down.
He was right- For real this time.
"What will you do about Sherry?"
"I'll figure something out." That was going to be a lot harder to do while laid up in recovery, but he would find a way. He had to. "I'll ask to speak with someone when I have the chance. Now that I'm awake, I'm sure they're dying to interrogate me about Raccoon City anyway."
"I just... I don't like this, Leon."
"Neither do I," he admitted, "but we're going to have to make do."
Claire stood from her spot at the bed and walked around to the other side, the one closest to the door. She didn't quite know where to go from there, except find the words to say goodbye, but even those escaped her. Nothing felt right. Truly, only one thing came to mind:
"Take care of yourself, Leon."
She bent down and planted a kiss upon his cheek. But with the words she spoke, all he could do was sit there, stunned. Any ounce of confidence, any semblance of command he displayed just moments before had been all but stripped- all from a single phrase.
"Yeah." His voice became breathless, his throat dry. He watched as she walked away, that red ponytail swaying with each step just as easily as Ada's hips swung in stride.
"You too."