Chapter Text
After everything that happened during the China outbreak, Leon finally allowed himself to face the truth of what he truly wanted. For the longest time, he was afraid to admit it to himself, because what would he gain from naming it when they never had a label to begin with? What they had was never ordinary, never something simple enough to define.
But hearing for the second time that she had died made his heart stop.
So when he saw her again, alive and still fighting with that same untouchable spirit, he could only laugh quietly at himself. For one second, he had forgotten who Ada was. She was never the kind of woman who would surrender so easily to death.
Leon truly believed he had lost her forever. And perhaps that was the moment he realized just how much she meant to him.
It was already December of 2014, a year after the China outbreak, and Leon still had not seen Ada again.
Every day, he tried to contact her. Calls, messages, anything that could possibly reach her. But it was always the same automated response telling him she was out of coverage. He searched for reports, rumors, traces of her existence, yet every lead dissolved into nothing before he could grasp it.
It was as if Ada Wong had vanished from the world entirely.
Most people believed she died in China. The chaos, the destruction, the countless bodies left behind made it easy to accept that story. But Leon knew better. Helena knew too.
Ada was alive. And somehow, that truth only made her absence hurt more.
Leon also read the report about what really happened in China, the 13,000 women victims, the clones, the revenge, and Simmons obsession with Ada. He wished Ada had said something to him that night. Why was she always dealing with everything alone?
He would have been more than willing to help her through all of it, but deep down, he knew Ada would never allow that. She carried everything by herself, as if asking for help was never an option.
And if he had known the truth back then, he would have punched that bastard Simmons even harder.
He does not resent the silence between them instead he embrace it and accept it. He knew someday they will meet again somewhere along the road like what she said to him.
And that someday is today.
December 27.
She always came to him on that exact date every single year, carrying a red velvet cake in her hands. Over time, Leon even memorized the name of the bakery she always bought it from, though he doubted Ada ever realized he noticed details that small. But Leon had always been observant, especially when it came to her.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence. Then it became a pattern he could no longer ignore. December 27 was her birthday he presume, and somehow, despite the dangerous life she lived and the countless places she could have been, she always chose to spend that day with him.
She never said it outright. Ada rarely explained herself, keeping her thoughts locked behind careful smiles and half truths. Maybe she thought he would never piece it together.
Still, every time Leon thought about it, a quiet warmth settled in his chest. Out of everyone in the world, Ada had chosen him.
For someone as guarded and secretive as Ada Wong, that choice felt more intimate than any confession she could have made.
Days earlier, Leon had reserved the cake under his name.
The bakery didn't open until noon, but he arrived well before then, seated by the window with his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. The scent of freshly baked bread and sugar lingered in the air, blending with the soft Christmas music drifting from the speakers overhead.
As he waited, he found himself smiling faintly.
How did he know she would come here?Truthfully, he did not.
He was so sure that she received his calls and text but he doesn't know why she didn't respond to it. Logic told him this was foolish. That she could be anywhere in the world right now, or worse, choosing never to come back at all.But his guts was loud this time.
Something deep inside him kept insisting that she would walk through those doors eventually, wearing that unreadable smile of hers as if she had never vanished in the first place.
So Leon waited.
Because if there was one thing he learned about Ada, it was that she always appeared when he least expected her to.
A few minutes later, the soft sound of the bakery door opening pulled Leon from his thoughts.
And there she was.
A woman in a red wearing a halter top, leather shorts, black boots and holding her jacket stepped inside as though she had walked straight out of one of his memories.
The moment his eyes landed on her, his heartbeat quickened painfully against his chest. After an entire year, Ada was still breathtaking. Still impossibly beautiful, like something distant enough to be untouchable yet close enough to ruin him completely.
For a second, Leon could only stare.
He had already spoken to the bakery owner earlier that morning, paying enough money to make sure they would not sell her the red velvet cake as it is their tradition to bake only one red velvet cake everyday. The plan sounded ridiculous when he first came up with it, but now he was silently thanking God for the fact that he had enough money to make it happen.
“Hi, good afternoon. Do you still have the red velvet cake?”
He heard her ask. Even after all this time, hearing her voice again made something warm ache inside him.
The owner apologized politely, exactly as instructed, explaining that the cake had already been reserved by someone else. He daw how her eyes got disappointed.
Leon stood from his seat and walked toward her, unable to stop the smile slowly spreading across his face. He tried to hide it, but it was impossible. Just seeing her again after a year of silence felt unreal.
Ada sensed someone approaching from behind and turned around. The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stop between them.
Then Leon finally spoke. “I already bought your cake.”
Ada looked at him for a moment before a small smile appeared on her lips.
“How did you know I was going to buy that?”
“Male intuition.”
She raised an eyebrow almost immediately. “There’s no such thing as male intuition. Stop stealing nachos from women.”
Leon laughed softly, the sound leaving him easier than it had in months. God, he missed this. The effortless banter, the way she always managed to disarm him with a single sentence.
The bakery owner soon handed Leon the neatly packed red velvet cake before quietly excusing himself, leaving the two of them standing there in the warmth of the small shop like time had never separated them at all.
Outside, the afternoon air greeted them softly as they stepped onto the quiet street together.
Leon glanced down at the cake box in his hands before looking back at her.
"Can you come with me today?" he asked, his voice gentler this time. "We can eat the cake together."
Ada stared at him for a moment, as though she hadn't expected the question. No mission, not a goodbye and not another reunion destined to end too quickly. Just him asking her to come. And somehow, that felt far more dangerous.
"Sure." The answer came out softer than Ada intended.
Truthfully, she didn't know how to say no to him anymore especially not when Leon was finally asking direct questions instead of dancing around feelings neither of them wanted to name.
Leon's smile widened, almost giggling in a way she rarely got to see, before he guided her toward the parking lot.
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement as they walked side by side. A light breeze stirred through the street, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and conversation. Neither of them spoke, yet the silence between them felt unexpectedly easy as Leon led her toward his car.
Then, without hesitation, he opened the passenger door for her.
Ada paused for a second.
It was not that Leon had never treated her kindly before. He always had. But this felt different somehow. There was something softer about him today that Ada can't point out.
There was no anger in his eyes today. No frustration. He is not asking desperate questions demanding answers she could never give. He was simply there, looking at her as though he was happy she existed at all. And the way those blue eyes rested on her made her heart flutter in a way she hated admitting.
Did he realize she was still a wanted woman even though she was announced as dead?
They were standing in the middle of a crowded city where anyone could recognize them or her as her face are plastered in the news one year ago. If the wrong people saw her with him, questions would spread instantly. What would the government say if they discovered their golden boy casually spending time with Ada Wong?
Yet Leon looked completely unbothered. He looks confident. Like nothing in this world could stop him from standing beside her today.
Leon started driving, and silence slowly enveloped the car. Not an uncomfortable silence, but the kind filled with thoughts neither of them knew how to say aloud.
Every now and then, they would steal small glances at each other when the other was not looking. Ada watched the way his fingers rested loosely against the steering wheel, while Leon kept catching the reflection of her face against the window whenever the buildings passed by.
Leon was afraid that if he spoke too quickly, he might scare her away again.
Ada had always been like smoke in his hands. The harder he tried to hold on, the faster she disappeared. So this time, he wanted to be gentler and be patient. He did not want her to feel cornered or uncomfortable around him.
He just wanted to spend her birthday with her. That alone already felt enough.
The truth was, Leon had imagined this reunion countless times over the past months. He rehearsed conversations in his head during sleepless nights, thinking about what he would ask her first once he finally saw her again. Where had she been? Was she hurt? Did she ever think about him too? He even practiced lighter topics, convincing himself he would keep things easy this time.
But now that Ada was actually sitting beside him, all those carefully prepared words disappeared completely.
His throat tightened every time he tried to speak.
Because after spending an entire year believing he might never see her again, Leon suddenly found himself terrified of saying the wrong thing and losing her all over again.
“What’s with you today?” Ada suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Leon glanced at her briefly, clearly caught off guard by the question.
“There’s something weird about you today,” she said quietly. “Why are you so quiet? Why aren’t you asking me questions about China?”
Ada knew this was unlike him. Every time she visited his apartment before, Leon would immediately start asking questions the moment she stepped through his window.
What do you want?
What happened back there?
Explain this to me.
There was always frustration in his voice before, always this desperate need to understand her why she do this lind of things in her life.
But today was different.
Leon looked at her softly, his hands steady against the steering wheel.
“That’s not my priority right now.”
Ada frowned slightly. “Why?”
“Because I just want to celebrate your birthday.”
Her eyes widened in shock as she turned toward him. “How did you—”
“I noticed it,” Leon answered with a small smile. “You only buy those cakes every December 27. So, I assume it is your birthday. I'm right, right?”
For a moment, Ada said nothing. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the car window, watching the buildings blur past them. Leon could not tell if she was surprised, touched, or trying to hide something from him again.
Maybe all three.
“Ada.” he called her.
“Hmm?”
“Was I supposed to see you today?”
She stayed quiet for a second before finally answering.
“No. I didn’t expect you to be at the bakery at all.”
Leon tightened his grip slightly on the steering wheel.
“So you weren’t planning to celebrate your birthday with me?”
“Yes.”
The answer came calmly and somehow, that honesty hurt more than if she had lied.
Leon did not respond after that. He simply kept driving through the quiet streets while silence slowly filled the car once again. But this time, it felt heavier than before.
Ada did not want to lie to him. But the moment she answered honestly, she saw the faint change in Leon’s expression. It was small, almost unnoticeable, yet she still caught it immediately. The quiet dimming of the spark in his blue eyes made something ache painfully inside her chest.
The truth was, she had not planned to celebrate her birthday with him. She had not planned to celebrate it at all this year. To Ada, birthdays had always been nothing more than another ordinary day passing by. Another date on the calendar with no real meaning attached to it. It only started changing after she met Leon back in Spain.
For reasons she never fully understood, she began buying cakes every December 27 after that. Maybe because he always looked strangely happy whenever she appeared at his apartment. Second reason is maybe because, for a few hours, she could pretend she was someone normal. Or another maybe because Leon made even ordinary moments feel warm enough to return to.
It became a habit she quietly treasured.
But after everything that happened in China, Ada no longer knew how to face him. Not after Carla. Not after the innocent people who died because of a revenge plot centered around someone wearing her face. Logically, Ada knew none of it was her fault. Carla’s actions were her own. Simmons was the real monster behind everything.
Yet guilt still clung to her skin like a shadow she could not wash away.
She had seen Leon’s calls. Read every message he sent. But she never found the courage to answer.
At some point during those days, Ada convinced herself it would be easier if she simply let him go completely. If she disappeared quietly from his life before he could get hurt any further because of her existence.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed the unfamiliar roads outside the window.
Ada frowned slightly and turned toward him.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked softly. “This isn’t the way to your apartment.”
Leon did not answer her immediately. Instead, he continued driving until the car finally slowed to a stop inside the garage of a two story house tucked away in a quiet subdivision. The neighboring houses were spaced comfortably apart, giving the area an unusual sense of privacy and calm.
Ada stepped out of the car after him, her eyes quietly scanning the unfamiliar place.
Leon grabbed the red velvet cake from the backseat before finally answering her question.
“Bought this house two weeks ago,” he said casually. “Got tired of benefiting from government housing.”
Ada looked at him silently while he walked toward the front door, pulling his keys from his pocket.
A real house and not an apartment.
Not another temporary place assigned to him by people constantly watching his life.
Something about that realization made her chest tighten unexpectedly because it seems like he was building something new for his life.
She followed him up the small pathway leading to the entrance while Leon unlocked the door.
“And,” he added, glancing at her over his shoulder, “I got tired of the security cameras too.”
Ada blinked slightly.
“So you can comfortably knock on my door instead of climbing through my window.”
The corner of his lips lifted into a teasing smile before he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
For a moment, Ada remained frozen outside the doorway because beneath the joke, she heard what he truly meant.
Ada let out a quiet giggle before finally stepping inside the house.
The warmth of his house greeted her immediately. The place was neat, though not fully settled yet. A few unopened boxes were stacked near the staircase and along the corners of the living room, making it obvious Leon was still in the middle of unpacking his new life piece by piece.
Ada removed her jacket and boots by the cabinet near the entrance before following him deeper into the house.
From the kitchen doorway, she watched Leon place the red velvet cake carefully inside the refrigerator. After that, he reached for an apron hanging nearby and out it in his waist.
“What pasta does the birthday girl want?” he asked teasingly.
Ada blinked softly. The sadness from earlier had disappeared from his face, replaced by the same warmth and lightheartedness he carried back at the bakery.
And somehow, seeing him try so hard to make this day feel normal for her made her chest ache even more.
A small smile finally appeared on her lips. “Do you know how to cook carbonara?”
“Of course,” Leon answered proudly, sounding almost offended she even had to ask.
Ada laughed.
Leon pointed toward the living room with a wooden spoon he had just picked up.
“Go stay in the living room,” he said. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”
She pouted and simply stood there watching him move comfortably around the kitchen of his new home, his sleeves rolled slightly, humming a song and smiling to her and acting as though inviting her here was the most natural thing in the world.
—
Ada did not stay in the living room like Leon told her to. Instead, she quietly wandered around the house, inspecting everything with amused judgment in her eyes.
His furniture choices were painfully simple. Practical and minimal. Very Leon-esque.
There were not enough decorations, not enough personality scattered around the rooms.
Still, she had to admit one thing, at least his bathroom was clean.
Her gaze eventually drifted toward the staircase leading to the second floor. Two doors waited upstairs, and she was almost certain one of them was his bedroom.
Curiosity immediately bloomed inside her.
Would Leon get mad if she entered without permission? Maybe or maybe not. She did not know.
But somehow asking for permission felt even more embarrassing than simply doing it, so Ada quietly chose the second option and walked upstairs on her own.
The moment she stepped inside his bedroom, she was greeted by familiarity. The room was neat and it carried the faint scent she always associated with Leon. Clean fabric, soap, coffee, and something warm she could never properly describe. It smelled like him.
Ada sat carefully on the edge of the bed before lightly testing the mattress with her hand. Comfortable.
While absentmindedly looking around the room, her eyes suddenly landed on something resting on the bedside table.
Her makeup compact.
Ada froze.
Slowly, she reached for it, immediately recognizing the small scratches along the edge.
It was the same compact she left behind in the helicopter during the China outbreak. For a moment, she simply stared at it in silence.
She could not believe he kept it all this time.
Most people would have thrown it away without a second thought. But Leon was different. Beneath the government agent everyone admired, he was painfully sentimental in ways he probably did not even realize himself. And somehow, knowing he kept something so small and insignificant from her made Ada’s chest tighten more than any grand confession ever could.
Ugh. What was wrong with Leon today?
Why was he making her feel this vulnerable?
Every little thing he did tonight was slowly dismantling the walls she spent years building around herself. The house, cake and the way he looked at her without demanding anything in return. The way he welcomed her into his space so naturally, as though she had always belonged there.
It was making her overthink, regret and making her want more. And that terrified her more than anything else.
Ada sat quietly on the edge of his bed, still holding the makeup compact in her hand while her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably inside her chest.
Leon was special to her. Far too special.
So special that thinking about him sometimes felt like pressing against an open wound. So special that he had become both the safest and most dangerous thing in her life at the same time.
He was also the only person who ever made her question her own morals. Ada had spent her entire life surviving by doing whatever was necessary. Lies, manipulation, betrayal, disappearing before attachment could become weakness. She learned long ago that morality was a luxury people like her could not afford.
But Leon made her hesitate. He made her think twice before pulling the trigger. Made her wonder if she was becoming tired of running. Made her ask herself what kind of person she could have been if life had given her different choices
And suddenly, everything finally started making sense.
Why she was always saving him even when it ruined her missions.
Why she kept risking herself for him without expecting anything back.
Why she could never fully walk away no matter how many times she tried convincing herself to do it.
It was never an obligation, guilt and simple attachment.
It was love.
The realization hit her so hard it almost stole the air from her lungs.
Oh God.
Ada covered her eyes briefly with one hand, letting out the softest, most disbelieving laugh at herself.
She was in love with Leon Scott Kennedy.
After all these years, after all the lies, distance, and ruined chances between them, she was finally allowing herself to admit it.
And somehow, that truth frightened her more than every monster she had ever faced.
Leon smiled to himself as he plated the carbonara, carefully twirling the pasta with quiet precision. The rich scent of cream, garlic, and parmesan lingered warmly through the kitchen, blending with the golden afternoon light spilling through the windows. He studied the dish for a moment, satisfied with the way it looked, though a quiet worry still sat in his chest. He hoped Ada would like it.
After setting the table, he untied the apron from around his waist and tossed it lightly over his shoulder before heading to the living room.
There he found Ada seated by the couch, a book resting delicately in her hands. It was one of the many books he had bought yesterday from a small local bookstore. He didn’t know what genre she preferred, so he bought a little of everything: classics, mysteries, romance, philosophy, even poetry hoping at least one would keep her company.
“The food’s ready,” he said softly.
Ada looked up from the pages and smiled at him genuinely, a smile so simple yet so rare that it always seemed to catch him off guard. She closed the book carefully and followed him to the kitchen.
Leon pulled out a chair for her without thinking.
“Thanks,” she murmured as she sat down.
He watched as her eyes quietly examined the plate before her, taking in every small detail of the meal he had prepared. It made him strangely nervous than he cared to admit.
When she finally took her first bite, Leon found himself staring at her, waiting.
“How is it?” he asked, trying to keep his voice casual.
Ada stayed silent for a moment, her expression unreadable as sunlight poured softly across her face. The pause stretched just long enough to make him overthink.
Then she looked at him. “I actually like it.”
And somehow, those few words made the quiet afternoon feel warmer than before.
Ada liked the carbonara so much that she asked for another serving.
Leon tried to hide how pleased he was, but the grin spreading across his face betrayed him completely. There was something about the way his eyes softened as he stood to get her more.
And for a fleeting moment, everything felt dangerously domestic. The quiet clinking of plates. The warmth of the afternoon sunlight pouring through the windows. The comfortable silence between them that no longer felt awkward, but lived-in. It felt right in a way neither of them dared to say aloud.
Leon reached for the bottle of wine and began opening it.
Ada lifted an eyebrow, amused. “Really? In the middle of the afternoon?”
He chuckled softly. “One glass only. We can finish the whole bottle later.”
That earned a laugh from her, small and genuine.
After they finished eating, Leon asked her to stay seated while he disappeared into the dining room.
Ada frowned slightly in confusion, but a few moments later, he returned carrying the red velvet cake with lit candles dancing softly on top of it. The warm glow flickered against his face as he carefully walked toward her.
Then she heard him sing.
“Happy birthday to you…” Leon began, awkwardly clearing his throat halfway through. “Uh, excuse my singing voice, okay?”
Ada couldn’t stop herself from laughing.
Leon laughed too, though he continued anyway, stubborn and endearing all at once.
“Happy birthday, happy birthday… happy birthday to you.”
When he finally placed the cake in front of her, the room suddenly felt quieter somehow.
“Make your wish, Ada.”
She looked up at him.
And for a moment, she couldn’t speak.
There was something painfully gentle in the way Leon looked at her now, like he had spent the entire day trying to give her something she had never truly been allowed to have.
A normal birthday.
A peaceful afternoon.
Her chest tightened so badly she almost wanted to cry.
No one had ever sung “Happy Birthday” to her before. She had only seen moments like this in movies, ordinary scenes that belonged to other people, softer people, people with lives untouched by blood and loneliness.
Yet somehow, here she was.
Sitting in the warm afternoon light with Leon standing in front of her, candles flickering between them, making her feel for the first time that maybe happiness was real enough to touch.
Ada closed her eyes and made her wish quietly beneath the soft glow of the candles.
I hope you can be happy for the rest of your life, Leon.
Then she leaned forward and blew them out.
The tiny flames disappeared, leaving only the warm afternoon light surrounding them.
Leon stared at her with a smile so full of happiness it almost looked unreal on him. The kind of expression only Ada could draw out from him.
Ada carefully set the cake down onto the table, but before Leon could even say anything, she crossed the distance between them.
And kissed him.
The suddenness of it startled him at first, his eyes widening slightly as her lips crashed against his. But the shock only lasted a second before his arms instinctively slid around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her back with desperate hunger. Like he had been starving for this.
Leon melted into the feeling almost immediately, every careful thought in his mind unraveling the moment he tasted her again. Her lips always had a way of making him weak, of stripping away every wall he tried to keep standing.
God, he missed this.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads remained pressed together, breaths uneven and tangled between them.
Leon’s hands stayed firm on her waist, holding her like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go too soon.
Ada could feel his heartbeat pounding against her chest just as wildly as hers.
Without warning, Leon lifted her effortlessly, making her let out a small surprised laugh as he sat her gently on the edge of the table.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to fuck me here?” Ada teased breathlessly. “You know... I tested your mattress earlier. It was comfortable.”
Leon laughed softly against her lips before kissing her again, slower this time, deeper, like he wanted to savor every second of her.
“You’re dangerous,” he murmured.
Ada smirked faintly. “And yet you keep kissing me.”
“As if I could stop.”
He kissed her once more before carrying her upstairs, his arms secure around her while the afternoon sunlight spilled through the house behind them. Ada wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, watching the way he smiled against her skin like this happiness still felt unreal to him too.
By the time Leon reached the bedroom, the afternoon had softened into something quieter and warmer.
And when he laid her carefully onto the mattress she had teased him about earlier, he looked at her for a long moment, as though even now, after everything between them, he still couldn’t believe she was truly here with him.
Leon kissed her again, he wanted to savor every second instead of losing himself to desperation.
Ada could feel the restraint in him.His carefulness. As if he was trying not to overwhelm her even while his hands trembled slightly against her waist.
“Leon,” she whispered softly against his lips.
That alone nearly broke whatever control he had left.
He buried his face against her neck with a quiet groan, his arms tightening around her while Ada’s fingers slipped through his hair. The warmth between them deepened slowly, steadily, until every touch began to feel intoxicating.
The room filled with soft breaths and tangled sheets as Leon pressed kisses along her skin like devotion, like worship. Every movement between them carried something more than desire now. Months of longing, fear, relief and love neither of them knew how to say properly.
Ada pulled him closer impatiently, making Leon laugh softly against her shoulder.
“There she is,” he murmured teasingly.
“Shut up.”
He smiled before kissing her again exchanging saliva, until her quiet laugh melted into his mouth.
Outside, the day remained still, but inside the bedroom, time seemed to blur around them completely.
Leon held her like she was precious. Ada kissed him like she was terrified to lose him.
And somewhere between whispered names, soft touches, and stolen breaths, they found comfort in each other again, the kind that made the rest of the world feel impossibly far away.