Chapter Text
PART 1
“She’s working for neo umbrella do you know what that means?”
“I do,”
“And you’re still going to protect this woman?”
“I am.”
Leon didn’t know what he meant when those words left his mouth. He wasn’t thinking straight because his words meant two things: one he would protect Ada against his better judgment and two he would trust Chris to handle the situation. He trusted Chris, but at the cost of…. What?
So when radio crackled, Helena halted a few steps behind him as he reached his ear piece. “Leon!? Leon, are you all right?” Chris’s voice cracked through.
“Until now, yeah… But Chris, listen to me. I need you to rescue two hostages from an underwater oil field. Agent Sherry Birkin… and Jake Muller. He’s Albert Wesker’s son. He's got antibodies for the C-Virus.” He told Chris, bracing himself for the mention of ‘Wesker’ but nothing.
It was odd. Especially when Chris said “I got it. On my way.” guess he knew. Made Leon's job easier.
“Thanks.” Leon said anyway not giving himself the privilege to analyze vocal interpretations over an already poor radio.
Before he could shut it, Chris spoke up: “Leon, wait. There’s something I need to tell you.” His stomach dropped, did they catch her? What did they find that— “Ada Wong is dead.” chris’s words were followed by silence. The ground beneath him didn’t feel real, The fires across Lanshiang blurred into nothing. Screams of infected people growling as they ripped each other’s flesh, the gunfire—gone. For a second, the world narrowed down to just two words.
Ada. Dead.
“Leon?” Chris asked.
Leon’s hand opened, then closed again, slow and mechanical. Like he forgot how it worked, as if breathing was now voluntary. “Who did it?”
“Unidentified sniper— most likely from The Family, it was only one bullet.”
Leon didn’t answer right away. He stared out over the skyline collapsing under smoke. “Copy” The word came out flat through his clenched jaw. Then he ripped the earpiece out and threw it off the building. As if the words Chris said can be unheard or rather, undone. It didn’t.
“Are you okay?” Helena asked quietly. He hadn’t looking up from the ground yet, but when he looked at the skyline of Lanshiang he was reminded once again that the choice was never his.
He moved before she could respond. “Let’s just find the survivors and get the hell outta here.” There was no point in looking back.
- (significant time in game passes)
The elevator groaned its way up the shaft, metal cables straining overhead. Loud, but not loud enough to occupy the silence that followed the news of Ada’s death. Leon could feel Helena’s helpless gaze on him as he looked out the glass panes. The city still glittered, but everything seemed dulled now. “She was more than just a friend, wasn’t she?” she asked, and a moment of silence later, Helena answered herself: “You had feelings for her.”
“Helena we don’t have time for this—“ the elevator stopped abruptly making the entire frame jolt. Glass shattered outward, fragments spraying across the floor. Leon staggered, catching himself on the rail. “Guess this thing isn’t gonna hold up much longer…” he inspected the floor it was halfway up they couldn’t pry the door open if they tried.
Helena called from the edge. “Leon! It’s…”
When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Simmons crawling over the edge of the building below them, yelling something incoherent.
“Simmons,” Leon said grimly. “Fucking bastard.” his eyes catching a flash of red on the building. “Ada?”
“She’s alive!” Helena said as the elevator jerked beneath them. Leon didn’t take his eyes off Ada’s silhouette as she emptied her machine gun. What on earth?
“I need to get to her, Helena cover me!” He jumped off the edge of the elevator, using the rope to swing onto the building. “She really shouldn’t have ditched the chopper.” he muttered to himself as he landed.
“Leon?” Ada barely had time to turn when Simmons’ ruptured tail lashed out, slamming her into the ground.
“ADA!” Leon ran toward her crumpled form, blood staining her shirt a darker red. He fell to his knees holding her closer to him, his arm around her shoulder “Ada… Can you hear me!?”
Simmons growled from in-front of them, unaffected to Helena’s shots. “Get away from her, Leon! You’re not half the man she needs”
“That’s rich coming from you.” Leon said, watching as Simmons' flesh rapidly grew bigger.
Leon fired at him simultaneously has Simmons growled more half coherent bullshit: “What do you know about us, Leon? Come with me, Ada my love. We’ll be together, forever!”
He shot at Simmons in controlled bursts. Useless. Simmons’ body kept shifting, swelling, regenerating. “Not if I can help it.” Leon said. Simmons retreated to the back of the roof, going down a side of the building, Leon couldn’t care, not when Ada’s blood was warm against his gloves. His hands weren’t steady anymore. “Come on Ada, wake up!” Desperation bled into his shaky hands as he cradled her head close to his chest. “I know you can pull through this. We both can.”
“Leon…” she murmured weakly her eyes fluttering to his. “You need to leave…”
“You are crazy if you think I’m going to leave you.”
“Listen to me…before he mutates further, get out of here..” her hand weakly held his harness. Something slipped into his shirt pocket. Keys.
“No, I’m not listening to you!“ he says roughly. “I’m not leaving, not without you. I don’t want to hear any of it.”
“Leon..” she said weakly, He was already tearing open his kit, pressing gauze hard against her side, forcing the healing agent into place. Her body tensed under his hands. “This isn’t worth it,”
“Shut up, I’ve got you. I won’t let it end like this” Somewhere behind them, metal screamed as Simmons forced his way back through, his mass screeching against the building like it might tear the whole thing down with him. “You hurt anywhere else? Chris told me you got shot,”
She shook her head, “it’s a long story, that.. wasn’t me.” her grip tightening weakly against Leon’s vest as he looked at the situation around her. “But Leon… you need to listen to me…”
“No.” He pressed harder on the wound, jaw set. “I’ve had enough of you making a call for the both of us. You don’t get to do this again.”
Her brows pulled together faintly. “Do what?”
“Disappear.” The word came out rough. Another distant roar marked that Simmons was getting closer now. Leon barely reacted. “I’m not losing you like that, so don’t do this to me.”
Ada let out a shallow breath, something almost like a quiet laugh—but it hurt too much to follow through. “You don’t… lose me, Leon,” she murmured. “I’m not yours to lose.” That would’ve shut him up before.
Not now, when words were being exchanged like they were the last, not when Ada felt like a memory he was holding onto. “Yeah?” His voice dropped, tight but steady. “Then why does it feel like it every time?” A piece of debris crashed nearby making dust scatter across them. Leon shifted instinctively, shielding her. “I keep telling myself I know how this ends,” he continued, eyes locked on her now. “You show up, you help, you vanish. That’s just how it goes.”
Ada watched him—really watched him this time. “But I’m done pretending that’s enough,” Leon said. His hand tightened slightly over hers. “Because it’s not.” He said firmly. “You think I wouldn’t find out it was you who helped me in Spain? You made sure Mendez followed you so he’d stay away from me. You. Think wouldn’t notice? You’re not exactly subtle Ada.” She looked like she was about to protest something but chose not to. “Why do you risk everything like this?”
“Someone has to,”
“Not you. I don’t want your damn life on the line because you’re trying to make mine easier.” He huffed tying the bandage securely around her.
The building groaned again louder. Time was running out. Ada’s breathing hitched, her strength slipping, but her gaze didn’t waver. “Leon…”
“If you walk away after this—fine,” he cut in. “If you disappear, if you lie to me again—fine. Leon didn’t need to look back in order to understand Simmons was back on his feet. “But don’t tell me to leave you behind like it doesn’t matter.” His voice lowered. “It matters to me, understand?”
Ada’s expression shifted subtly. “I think you’ve made yourself clear.” Something unguarded breaking through the usual control. For once, she didn’t have a quick answer. Instead, her hand tightened faintly in his as she studied his face. “…You know…. You were right, it’s not easy to get rid of you.” She said. “Back then I thought you were naive about it, but it turned out you’re just stubbornly bad at following orders,” she whispered.
Leon almost let out a breath that could’ve been a laugh. “Yeah. Guess I picked that up somewhere.” A heavy crash cut through the moment. Simmons, sounding closer than before. Leon finally looked over his shoulder, calculating distance, timing, options. None of them good. He looked back at her, Ada’s mouth twitched faintly as her eyes drifted shut again. Leon’s expression fell immediately. “No.” He leaned closer, thumb brushing against her cheek “Ada, look at me. Don’t close your eyes,” The helplessness of the situation was incomparable to the time in Raccoon City when his grasp wasn’t strong enough to not let her go. The same pit in his stomach sat differently this time. He pat her face almost desperately now. “Ada—”
A wet, distorted roar thundered across the rooftop. Leon looked up just as Simmons’ mutated form split open. “LEON TAKE COVER!” Helena yell from the other roof.
Leon knew exactly what was coming. Yet, he didn’t even try to move. Instead he pulled Ada tightly against his chest and wrapped himself around her, turning his body over hers protectively.
Simmons’ mutated form convulsed violently, launching a barrage of jagged spikes straight at them. The splinters didn’t exactly miss him. Pain was sharp enough to make Leon choke on the impact. But he didn’t let go. His arm locked tighter around Ada automatically as shattered concrete and metal sprayed around them, spikes embedding deep into him.
The barrage finally stopped, neither of them moved. Leon’s breathing had turned ragged now, shallow against the pain burning through his back. He could feel stings beneath his shirt, barely registering the pain because he had decided none of it mattered. Slowly, he lifted himself just enough to look at her. “Ada…?” Nothing.
The city lights reflected dimly across her face as her head rested against his arm, eyes closed, completely still. Blood stained her shirt, dark beneath the city lights, her head resting weakly against his arm. Leon felt his chest tighten hard enough to overpower the pain on his back. Fear hit him harder than the spikes did. “No…” His voice cracked quietly. “No, no, come on…” One shaking hand moved to her face. “Don’t do this to me,” he whispered, almost lost beneath the wind. His shoulders sagging as he held her closer, his forehead pressing into her collar. “Ada,” he squeezed her to chase her warmth, his eyes burning.
“Would you look at that Mr Kennedy? It seems that every time you hold my precious Ada, you. let. her. DIE!”
Leon ignored Simmons with a new found determination, he shook his head as he pulled back a bit. “Hey.” Holding her face carefully. “Open your eyes.” His breathing starting to fall apart a little. “Ada, please.” His voice cracking as he spoke. “Please don’t do this again.” he held her tighter, “stay with me, I mean it,” He leans closer, his hand firmly holding her head. “I can’t lose you again.” he said, quietly. “I don’t think I survive that this time.” he held her. “Please,” he shuddered into her shoulder, his throat hurting.
Leon froze when he felt A trembling pressure against his side, For half a second he thought it was another spasm from the pain tearing through his back—until he felt it again. Her hand clutching weakly at the side of his shirt. His breath caught. “Ada…?” Leon stared at her, disbelief washing across his face so suddenly it almost hurt. His vision blurred again and he blinked hard, swallowing it back immediately. “Ada,” he breathed, quieter this time. He held the side her face softly as her brows pulled together faintly as consciousness slowly returned. Leon could see it happening little by little—the tension in her face, the shallow inhale, her fingers tightening against him.
Relief hit him so hard his shoulders nearly gave out. He let out an uneven breath that sounded dangerously close to a laugh as his forehead dropped briefly against hers. “Are you kidding me?” He watched as Ada’s eyes cracked open slightly.
“…I was just resting my eyes.”
Leon shut his eyes for a second, a shaky exhale escaping him before he looked back at her with a disbelieving smile tugging at his face. “Shouldn’t sleep on the job.” Then, carefully, she pushed herself upright despite the pain in her side. Leon immediately moved to steady her. “Easy.”
A faint smirk ghosted across Ada’s lips. “I’m not dead yet.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” That earned the faintest smirk from her.
“You should know better by now,” she straightened to stand with his help, Ada’s hand had shifted to the back of his shoulder now—and the second her fingers brushed against the torn fabric there, Leon stiffened.
Ada’s gaze lingered on him for another second longer than usual before she spoke again. “When this is over…I’ll patch you up.”
Leon looked at her, raising his brows in surprise “Wow,” he said dryly, “you really must’ve hit your head.”
Ada rolled her eyes faintly, but he caught the small smile that followed. “Don’t push it,”
Behind them, Simmons snarled in frustration. “Enough of this sentimental nonsense!” The rooftop shook as his mutated frame slammed against the concrete, bone jutting violently from expanding flesh.
Leon ignored him for one more second. “Is there some back-story I should know here?”
Ada scoffed lightly. “Nothing worthwhile.” Reloading with one hand. “In case you haven’t noticed, Simmons doesn’t take rejection well.”