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“Been a while, rookie,” Ada says as she slips into the tiny stone-walled room behind Leon. He’s dressed in a tight-fitting t-shirt and chest harness, his lithe form splattered with dirt and blood. Dark circles line his eyes, veins just beginning to protrude under his skin from the parasite Ada knows is alive and crawling in his chest. He turns to face her with an exasperated sigh.
“Want to tell me what you’re doing here, Ada?”
“What, not even a hello?” Ada moves smoothly across the packed earth, tucking her gun away as she approaches Leon. He watches warily, a strand of silky hair falling in front of his eyes, and Ada is struck with the urge to tuck it behind his ear. She stops an inch or two away, close enough to feel the warmth of his muscles. Leon rolls his eyes but seems to relax a little, exhaustion showing on his face as he tilts his head down to look into Ada’s eyes.
“I thought you were dead, you know. Forgive me for having questions.”
“So many questions, with you. Always looking for a motive, huh, officer?” Ada loops her hands around his neck, and she can feel Leon’s breath pick up as the distance between them is eliminated. His palms find her back, gentle but desperate, like he’s afraid she’s about to disappear again. Ada’s next words are a whispered exhale.
“Maybe I just missed you.”
Leon seems to shudder, his fingers burning through her dress to dig into her skin. His eyes are sorrowful and deeply blue, pupils a little wider than they should be.
“Ada,” he murmurs. And then they’re kissing, a delicate brush of mouths that quickly turns into something far more forceful. Leon’s hand comes up to cup the back of her head, his body tense and alive beneath hers, and Ada deepens the kiss, delving into Leon’s pliant mouth with the edge of her tongue. He gasps raggedly, pressing into her touch like he’s still that passionate rookie she met in the fires of Raccoon City; so much unspoken desire in his movements that Ada is almost overwhelmed by regret. She runs a hand down his chest instead, slipping her fingers into his belt loop and closing the distance between their bodies with a jerk. Leon makes a soft noise, curious hands already sliding down the curve of her spine.
“Seems like you missed me,” she murmurs against Leon’s jawline, his head tilting back against the wall as she presses delicate kisses along the pale skin of his neck. He tastes like sweat and iron and something sweeter, some herbal scent that reminds her of fresh earth.
“You wish,” he says, breathless, and Ada hums against his neck, enjoying the way his hands tighten around her hips. She lazily makes her way back to his jaw, letting her mouth rove across the vulnerable expanse of his throat before biting gently at his bottom lip. Leon exhales shakily, a stuttered breath that sends electricity down Ada’s spine. He all but moans into her mouth when she presses a knee into the space between his legs, and Ada smirks into the renewed frequency of his kisses. She’s been wanting to see him like this.
Leon’s hands slip down to her thighs, nimble fingers finding purchase on the gun holster under her dress.
“Eager, are we?” Ada laughs, breaking the kiss to look up at Leon’s flushed face. He’s panting, his lean-muscled chest heaving under the straps of his harness. He looks half drunk, his eyes wide and dark. It’s a good look on him, and the thick leather belts wrapping his body make Ada’s darker desires run wild in her imagination. She wants to know what he would look like with only the harness and thigh holsters on, or maybe a different set of restraints. As if he knows what she’s thinking, Leon bites at his lip and grins—
Then flinches, the movement so imperceptible that Ada almost misses it. His arm is suddenly tense where Ada’s hand still rests, and she can feel the thundering pulse of his brachial artery, picking up speed as she pauses in confusion. Leon jolts, a ragged gasp tearing from his throat—and before Ada can pull back from their embrace, his fingers are tightening around her throat.
For a moment, she doesn’t react, too swept up in the passion of the moment to recognize it for what it is. But then he keeps squeezing, his grip going from erotic to dangerous in a split-second, and panic sets in. Ada chokes in shock and pain, frantically scanning his face for an explanation. Her heart drops. His irises are tinged an unnatural scarlet, distended veins crawling across the pale skin of his face as he leers at her in monstrous malice. Caught momentarily off-guard, Ada claws uselessly at his strong hands, thumbs digging harshly into her windpipe. She fumbles for her knife as her vision begins to darken, plunging the short steel blade into Leon’s thigh with a final rush of adrenaline.
He jerks back with a harsh cry as blood splatters Ada’s fingers, finally allowing her to suck in a sharp breath. She doubles over in a coughing fit, throat aching, her knees turning weak with shock. Leon seems to react similarly in the edge of her vision, clutching at his chest..
“Fuck,” he curses, retrieving a small glass bottle from his pockets with trembling hands. “Fuck, Ada, I—”
Ada pulls herself upright, struggling to regain her composure as she assesses the damage to her neck. Leon’s face is pale with barely-concealed horror. His muscles spasm again, the convulsion forcing him to drop the bottle. He groans painfully, a trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Ada, I’m—I didn’t—”
“It’s alright,” Ada manages, voice gravelly but thankfully intact. She stoops to pick up the bottle, offering the orange and white capsules to Leon with a cautious hand on his arm. His body feels hot under her touch, feverish and damp. She’s honestly surprised he’s still standing. “You need to get rid of that parasite.”
“Yeah.” Leon swallows the pills with a grimace, his expression suddenly guarded. “But I need to find Ashley, first.” He glances momentarily at Ada’s lips, swiping a hand across his own. Fresh beads of sweat glisten on his skin in the dim light. “I'm sorry, about—”
“It’s fine.” Ada crosses the room, offering a smirk she hopes looks more real than it feels. Leon takes a staggering step as if to follow, eyes searching her face with a gentleness that makes Ada’s heart ache. She can tell he wants her to stay. “Let’s split up. See you around, Leon.”
The metal door creaks as she exits the room, a hand at her throat where there will surely be bruises in a few hours. Hang in there , Leon.