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Leon Scott Kennedy had been through the worst of the worst, BOWs, crazed sociopaths, and megalomaniacs.
You name it; he's fought it.
As of right now, though, the American agent was about to go through something far worse than just some run-of-the-mill wannabe supervillain.
He was getting his wisdom teeth removed.
Now that wouldn't be so bad if he were maybe in his early twenties, but he wasn't. He was reaching his 40s. Thinking about that fact started making him pick at his hangnails.
"Come on, Leon. It isn't that bad." Rebecca attempted to comfort him, stopping him from picking any further.
He rolled his eyes. "I don't need to do this. I've been alright with them for this long." He grumbled.
Rebecca, along with the help of Captain Boulder-Puncher, who was currently reading one of those gossip magazines, dragged him here to get it done after many complaints that he thought went unnoticed by them.
"You're acting more like a child than the actual child across from us." Chris pointed out.
Leon glanced at the child on the side of the waiting room. The kid looked unnervingly happier to be here than Leon was.
"I don't think that kid's here willingly, probably got bribed with a promise of ice cream or something." He scoffed.
Chris sighed and turned his attention back to the magazines.
Leon did his best to get comfortable in the waiting room, but the stuffed couch cushions could only be comfortable for so long. Not even the TV had anything good on, just one of those daytime soap operas he wasn't interested in. He'd much prefer if the TV was playing something like House M.D.
"Leon Kennedy?" Leon's attention shifted at the mention of his name. He got up from the couch and followed the nurse. Rebecca and Chris stayed behind in the waiting room as he was moved to a hallway to wait even longer in an equally uncomfortable chair.
They did the usual medical stuff, asking if he was allergic to anything, if he had ever had surgery before. He was already beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable; places like this were never his strong suit.
He wanted to walk out already, but the thought of Chris and Rebecca telling the entirety of the DSO and BSAA how the legendary bioweapon hunter himself was too scared to have something as simple as wisdom tooth removal done was enough to keep him in place.
When they finally finished up with everything they deemed necessary, they handed him a gown, socks, and a cup.
He sighed as he stepped into a bathroom and did everything they had told him to. Once done, he was greeted by Rebecca waiting outside of the bathroom with a blanket in her arms.
When he sat down she wrapped it around him, he was quick to realize it was warm, a stark contrast to the near freezing room. "I had a feeling you'd appreciate that."
"Thanks." He responded. She smiled, giving a quick thumbs-up before heading back to the waiting room. He wished she would stay, but he stayed silent as she left.
It didn't take too long before a nurse took him to another room. This time they were looking for a good vein to place an IV in.
His anxiety spiked at the mention of a needle, he knew it was necessary but…
He took a deep breath, shaking away the painful memory that threatened to resurface.
He looked away from where they inserted the needle, squeezing the ball they gave him tightly. Biting his lip almost hard enough to draw blood.
Afterward, they placed him into another room again, unsurprisingly, much to his dismay. It felt like hours the longer he waited and when they finally came back for him, he felt a mix of relief and fear.
It was even more walking till they reached the surgery room. Leon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand, his breath hitching. The surgery table reminded him too much of the one back in Spain.
He swallowed his fears and quickly lay down. 'Better to be done with it now than later.' He thought to himself.
They put the mask on him, and at first, he didn't feel anything until the smell of anesthesia started to hit him. It started making him feel off and without a second thought, he shoved the mask away.
"No, no. I've.." He tried to plead, but his words began slipping away from him, black spots slowly clouding his vision as he started to feel the effects of the anesthesia.
Several memories were starting to flash through his mind, almost all at once.
His eyes fluttered shut as it finally kicked in, the slightly concerned voices of the surgeons fading away as he slipped unconscious.
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His heart was pounding, he could practically feel it thumping in his ears. Teetering on the edge of the balcony, a few more inches he would've met the concrete below.
His life nearly ended, and perhaps he wouldn't have minded that. If it weren't for the fact he'd be leaving Chris, who was struggling fighting a mutated Arias, and Rebecca, who was almost infected, at the mercy of fate. He gritted his teeth and got up as his vision blurred.
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His teeth gritted, gun trained on the zombie that was coming closer and closer. He glanced towards Helena, her gun trained on the zombie yet neither fired. Both of them hesitated because this wasn't just a random zombie.
To Leon, this was a close friend. Lost just like the others he met throughout the years.
To everyone else, it was the President of the United States. The zombified President lunged at Helena, Leon couldn't hesitate any further. He pulled the trigger.
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He was no longer there. He was in Russia, looking at Buddy as he pulled the trigger on himself. He wanted to help him, but there was nothing he could do as he watched Buddy go lifeless in front of him. He closed his eyes, breath hitching.
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He's in Spain, feeling Las Plagas coursing veins, squirming through his body like maggots. He'd made all the humorous jokes he could to keep himself from breaking down, on the outside he put on a brave face, for Ashley, but on the inside he was terrified.
He wasn't sure either of them would make it out alive, that Ashley would see her father again.
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He's back to that night, that horrible night that changed everything in Leon's life, that set him on a path filled with nightmares and week-long benders.
He held onto Ada, sacrificing the vital that could've saved people, for saving her. However, he could feel his grip slipping until Ada fell from his grasp. Smiling at him as she dropped into the abyss of darkness.
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He was in a pitch-black room, unfamiliar to him. The only light is in the middle of the room, under the light was a blond figure.
"You promised you'd keep me safe and away from harm." The figure turned towards him. It was Sherry. He tried to come up with a response, but he couldn't; Sherry walked up to him, pulling him into a hug.
His mind was racing, confused about what was happening till he felt a pair of teeth bite into him.
He screamed.
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He quickly shot up, screaming as he did, though it came out muffled due to the gauze in his mouth. A pair of hands grabbed ahold of him, lying him back down.
He slowly took in his surroundings, still groggy from the anesthesia.
He noticed that Rebecca was standing over him and Chris was laying him back down, the both of them looking at him in worry.
Leon groaned at the soreness from his mouth. He had worse wounds, but the soreness was a different kind of pain he wasn't exactly used to.
"S'not so bad," he mumbled, his words slurred due to the gauze. "Just tired."
“Are you sure?” Rebecca rubbed his shoulder, frowning.
Her and Chris could put two and two together, but they didn't want to push him. Not like before with Arias.
Leon leaned into the touch a bit. "Yeah...." He said. "Just feel tired ‘n sore." He paused, then mumbled out.
"...I'm hungry.”
Leon flushed when the pair nearly laughed, mumbling out a "shut up" to save face. They promised him some mac and cheese as they helped him check out of the clinic.
Leon was wheeled out of the place. Rebecca still rubbing his shoulder off and on to keep calm, concern still tugging at her. The two got him to the car, placing him in the backseat, with him immediately leaning his head against the window.
His eyes fluttered closed. He was almost scared the nightmare would return but instead—
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He was greeted by the sight of them, Ada, Sherry, Chris, and Rebecca, all of them sitting at a table with an empty seat.
“Hey, there he is! Get over here, Leon!” Claire shouted, smiling brightly. A smile he hadn't seen on her since the last time they saw each other. He still held his guilt.
“There's no hard feelings, you know. You just need to reach out, Leon.” She added. Sherry chipped in. “Come on, we've got mac and cheese!”
He took a deep breath and made his way over to that empty seat.
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He stirred awake to the smell of food. Chris and Rebecca were rambling back and forth about something, possibly something funny since Chris was chuckling.
A tired smile was plastered on his face. He'd lost a lot throughout the years, but he could keep going as long as he still had them.