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Claire stared intently at her reflection in the full-length mirror of Leon’s bedroom. It was beginning to dawn on her; that is, the events that had transpired within the last 24 hours. It was almost as if she could still make out the diminished remains of Raccoon City within the lines of her face and smell the charred ashes of downtown within the air of her companion’s room. No matter how hard Claire had scrubbed in the shower, she couldn’t get the stench out of her nose. Along with that, the image of driving past the city, seeing it engulfed in flames. She and Leon tried their best to reason with themselves.
“It was the only way.”
But deep down, they both couldn’t wash away that gnawing feeling.
Claire examined the way Leon’s oversized T-shirt hung off her slender body. It smelled like him, warm and musky. It was comforting.
Leon had offered to let Sherry and Claire stay over at his apartment, situated a good distance away from what was left of Raccoon City. Claire wasn’t in any position to deny his offer, and also, seeing as Sherry was now temporarily their responsibility, it was a no-brainer. It’s not as if they had anywhere else to stay. Besides, a nice shower and a hot meal sounded ever so enticing.
It was around 10 pm now. In an act of gracious charity, Leon gave up his bedroom for the girls to sleep in while he rested on the couch in the living room. Sherry lay sound asleep on the bed, softly snoring and snuggled up in a thick blanket. Claire’s eyes shifted focus behind her, still in the mirror’s view, to where Sherry was curled in the fetal position. Her pink lips pulled themselves involuntarily into a small smile as she watched the child sleep soundly, her youthful face illuminated by the pale blue moonlight that streamed in through the window of the bedroom.
“You deserve this,” she whispered, still smiling.
“Leon wouldn’t mind if I got some water, right?” She thought to herself, tiredly running a hand through her dark hair, now cascaded down her shoulders.
“As long as I’m quiet, he won’t notice…”
Claire wandered her way to the bedroom door and slowly pushed it ajar, careful not to make enough noise to rouse her partner out of his rest. She gingerly tiptoed over in the direction of the kitchen area, keeping her eyes fixated on Leon as she did so, who was fast asleep on his back with his arms folded over his chest. He wore pajama pants and a sleeveless shirt that showed off his still-fresh, bandaged shoulder injury. It was hard to deny that he did look cute in his current state. His lips slightly parted open as small breaths escaped them, his chest rising and falling softly.
A miniature light was kept plugged into the wall near the stove in the kitchen; its dim, orange hue brightened the space just enough for Claire to make out the shape of the steel handle of the refrigerator. Cold as her fingers curled around it, she pulled the handle back, and her eyes squinted at the bright light that came streaming out.
“Jeez,” she chuckled. Leon’s fridge was almost empty, aside from a single package of sliced turkey, a ketchup bottle, a few beers, and water. Claire reached a hand inside and grabbed a water bottle, quickly but still carefully closing the fridge door to minimize noise.
At that moment, faint shuffling could be heard from the direction of the living area. Claire froze, narrowing her eyes as she listened for it again.
Almost within an instant, Leon jolted up, breathing heavily.
“Leon?” Claire rushed over to the couch, almost as if it were second nature. Reluctantly, she gently placed a hand on her companion’s arm. She could feel it trembling underneath her soft touch.
“What’s the matter? Leon?”
The man’s breath was frantic; his chest heaved in a frenzied manner underneath his shirt, now matted to his body with sweat. His eyes were bloodshot and thin strands of blond hair stuck to his forehead. As her pupils adjusted to the darkness, Claire solidified her grasp on his arm in a feeble attempt to settle him.
“Leon? It’s okay; it’s just me,” her voice came out weaker than she anticipated.
“C… Claire,” he choked out. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no, don’t apologize.” Claire looked intently into Leon’s eyes, still maintaining her secure hold on his arm. “It’s alright...”
Without a response, Leon looked down at his hands, still shaking.
“Had a nightmare?”
“Yeah…”
Their eyes lingered on one another for a moment, and Claire silently took Leon in for an embrace. Not fighting back, he allowed himself to be embraced by the girl in front of him. He couldn’t hold back anymore. Like a roof that had taken on too much weight, he felt himself splinter and fall apart. Tears began to stream down his face, and his shoulders shook as muffled sobs spilled out of him and into the crook of the Claire’s neck.
“It’s alright, I got you…” Claire’s chin rested against Leon’s shoulder blade, and she spoke barely above a whisper.
“It was just a nightmare; you’re safe now.”
The two stayed like that for a while; Claire’s arms curled around Leon’s larger body whilst she whispered sweet nothings into his ear and rubbed circles onto his back. It was completely quiet save for the sound of staggered breathing and a low buzz that emanated from the refrigerator. Leon’s breath felt warm against the girl’s cheek; she could feel his body loosen up and his heartbeat slowly return to a normal pace. Lazily, a gentle sigh left him.
“Hey, can we maybe… not mention this again?” Slowly speaking, Leon remained still. His face felt hot, thankfully the room was dark enough that any lingering pinkness on his cheeks would go unnoticed.
“Huh,” Claire stirred. Minutes had passed by like seconds; it was getting increasingly late and without even realizing it, she had been dozing off against her companion’s chest.
“Sure, if that’s what you’d like,” she spoke drowsily, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand before pulling away from the hug. “I think I’m gonna head to bed now. If you need anything, y’know where I am.”
Before she could finish standing up completely, Claire felt a larger, calloused hand hastily clasp her own. Hushed, her companion’s benign voice sounded:
“Please don’t go…”
A cheery smile finessed its way onto the girl’s face.
“Of course.”