Work Text:
The rain outside hammered against the hotel room window, heavy and relentless. Lightning flashed in the distance, briefly illuminating the dark sky, just like it had on the night they'd first met. Claire stared at her reflection in the glass, watching droplets race each other down the large pane as the storm unleashed itself.
Leon sat on one of the two single beds beside her, the one closest to the door. He'd insisted on taking that one.
The hotel was tucked away in some quiet town neither of them had ever visited, though it sat at an equal distance between them, only a couple of hours' drive each way. Leon had offered to meet somewhere closer to her, but Claire had refused.
This was fairer.
She could feel his eyes occasionally shifting up to her from the magazine he was pretending to be interested in. They'd come here to catch up after she'd returned from Europe and he'd finally got a week off from training.
God, they'd fallen back into it so easily. Like no time had passed since the weeks after Raccoon City, when they'd hopped from one hotel to another, trying to stay low while playing house with Sherry.
Pretending their lives hadn't completely changed.
The jokes and teasing came naturally. The stories, the dreams, the small gestures and touches she couldn't help offer, and the ones he quietly returned.
Though something was different now.
She couldn't explain it. She could just feel it hanging between them, lingering in the cool, air-conditioned air of the room.
Maybe they'd finally run out of the fun things to talk about.
“Six months since Raccoon City and thunderstorms still don't feel the same,” Claire said quietly, turning away from the window.
Their gazes connected across the room. Leon lowered the magazine before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed in one smooth motion.
“How so?” he asked, his voice warm even now.
Claire hesitated before she spoke. “It's foreboding,” she said finally. “Like I'm about to be thrown into another nightmare.”
Leon stood, but he didn't step closer right away. His eyes flickered between hers and the storm outside.
“I'd hope not. Unless that nightmare is you losing your mind over me snoring again.”
A small laugh escaped Claire before she could stop it. She crossed her arms, a tank top strap slipping slightly from her shoulder as she shook her head.
“You're louder than my bike's exhaust,” she said with a quiet chuckle. “So yeah. Loud.”
Leon rolled his eyes, putting on an exaggerated look of offence. “We could've got separate rooms like I offered.”
Claire shook her head once before finally closing some of the distance between them.
“No. One room's cheaper,” she said softly, letting out a small sigh as her gaze dropped to the zigzag pattern of the carpet beneath them. “And…”
The words caught in her throat.
“And what?” Leon took a step forward, meeting her between the two beds. His attention stayed on her, on the way her shoulders drew in for a moment, the way she bit the inside of her cheek before forcing herself to relax. “You can say it.”
She could. She really could say anything to him.
Even if, realistically, they shouldn't have been this close. They'd only known each other in person for a handful of weeks, with the rest of their connection built through emails and phone calls that often stretched on for hours after the sun had set.
“I don't want to be alone.” The words finally tumbled free. “I spent enough nights in Europe with just me and… everything that happened. Even months later, it still… I dunno. It lingers in the back of my mind.”
Their eyes met again. She saw the same understanding reflected back at her.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice softening. “I get it. Hell, the nightmare continued for you on that island. I can't imagine–”
“I don't think it matters who has more trauma,” Claire cut in, though there was no sharpness behind it. “We've both seen enough of that shit, trust me.”
Leon simply nodded. His arm twitched once at his side, like some instinctive part of him wanted to reach out, but he ultimately stopped himself.
When they finally pulled the curtains shut and climbed into their respective beds, Claire had hoped sleep would come quickly.
She knew it was wishful thinking.
She lay there staring up at the vent cover on the ceiling, listening to the rain continue against the window and the quiet hum of the room around them.
It had been an hour, maybe two, before Leon's voice broke through the darkness.
“Can't sleep?” he asked, then shifted slightly, like he already knew it was a stupid question.
“Yeah,” Claire sighed softly, turning onto her side to face his bed. “Honestly? Not sure I wanna nowadays.”
Leon let out a quiet chuckle of agreement before a sigh followed. He sat up, his back resting against the headboard.
“That's the realest thing I've heard in months.” He shook his head slightly. “It's weird. It feels like I'm dragging a physical object behind me all the time.” He tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling. “Sleeping, thinking… even walking feels slower.”
“Maybe you're just not used to those muscles you've put on,” Claire said, trying to ignore the way her voice came out almost sultry.
Leon laughed loudly.
“Maybe.” He shook his head. “That diet and workout they've got me on, plus all the damn training exercises, is insane. I miss human food.”
“You mean junk food,” Claire teased, shifting slightly as her auburn hair spread across the pillow. “Broccoli is human food. Maybe those muscles are just inflatable. Are you sure you can't take them off?”
Leon laughed again.
Her heart did something stupid.
“They're real,” he said, his smirk visible even in the darkness. “Wanna find out?”
Claire went still, and Leon fell silent, like he hadn't meant for the words to come out that way.
“Find what out?” she asked, a teasing edge slipping into her voice as she bit her lip.
“I… I, uh–” Leon stammered, sliding down against the headboard as if he were deflating. “I meant–”
“You want me to touch them?” she asked, giving an exaggerated gasp, placing a hand against her chest.
“No!” Leon's voice came out loud and awkward. “Well, I–”
Claire stood. Leon fell quiet again, watching as she stepped toward his bed.
He opened his mouth when she was halfway there. “What're you doing–?”
She sat on the edge of the mattress beside him, her legs hanging over the side, her body turned toward his. Leon stared back at her, close enough now to feel the warmth of his breath between them.
Claire leaned closer before she could overthink it.
Leon did the same.
Their foreheads brushed gently. His hand carefully wrapped around her wrist as she reached up and rested it against his shoulder. Even through the thin fabric of his white shirt, she could feel the solid muscle beneath.
They paused for half a second in that small moment of uncertainty right before finally choosing something.
Their lips met in a brief, tender kiss. They both pulled back just as quickly.
Claire's cheeks felt like they were on fire, her chest rising and falling beneath the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat. Leon looked no different, a little stunned and just as flushed.
A breathless chuckle escaped her before they found each other again.
This time, the kiss lingered, deeper and less hesitant. Leon's hand moved to cradle the back of her neck as she shifted closer, her eyes fluttering shut while the storm continued to rage beyond the window.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. His hands settled around her hips, the pressure gentle but certain. Her eyes flew open with a muffled gasp against his mouth when his fingers slipped beneath her shirt, tracing the curve of her spine.
“Stop,” she said before her mind could fully catch up.
Leon's hands disappeared immediately, dropping back to his sides as they both pulled away.
Claire turned her head over her shoulder, staring at the small bin in the corner of the room, her cheeks reddening for an entirely different reason.
“I'm sorry,” she mumbled, exhaling slowly. “I didn't mean to be a tease.”
“You weren't,” Leon assured her. “Please, don't be sorry.”
Claire looked back at him, more sheepish than before. Her shoulders hunched just a bit, though the embarrassment was still obvious. Her eyes drifted over his face, catching on his bangs, his hair a lighter shade of blond than it had been months ago when she'd last seen him.
“Do you hate me?” she asked before she could stop herself. Leon's brow furrowed. “For leaving,” she clarified.
His expression softened.
“No. Not at all.” His hand gently closed over hers. “You needed to. If you'd stayed, nothing would've changed. The government probably would've just thrown you onto my diet, too.”
A small laugh broke free from her, some of the weight pressing against her chest finally easing.
She hated this.
Being vulnerable and letting old doubts creep in. It almost made her shiver as she forced herself to straighten.
“Okay,” Claire said with a quiet sigh, something close to relief finally settling over her.
“I wouldn't wish that diet on my worst enemies.”
Claire laughed again, despite the fact that it didn't entirely feel appropriate at the moment.
Leon was annoyingly good at making that happen.
“So,” he said, shifting slightly beneath her. “What now?”
“I… don't know,” Claire admitted, her eyes dropping to the plain sheets between them. “I know we just… I don't think I'm ready.”
Her stomach twisted as she waited for him to respond.
The frustrating part was that she didn't even know what she meant. Wasn't ready for what? Another kiss? Sex? A relationship? Just seeing him again?
The uncertainty settled heavily in her chest, and she sighed.
“I understand.” Leon's words came slower, more careful than usual. “I'm not sure either.”
She paused, thunder rumbling outside.
“I didn't tell you everything about that island and Antarctica,” Claire murmured. She glanced away before looking back at him, unsure where to let her eyes settle. “I lost someone.”
Leon stayed quiet for a moment, his hand gently squeezing hers, offering some comfort.
“Were you two…?”
“No.” Claire shook her head, the air between them suddenly feeling heavier. “I was too focused on finding Chris. I didn't have time to consider anything like that… just like me and you after Raccoon City.” Her next breath caught slightly, and she winced. “He was struggling. We were getting closer, but something kept pulling him away… then it was too late.”
Her chest tightened until it felt like something inside her was being pulled taut. She could still see Steve's mutated form reverting to human in his final moments whenever she closed her eyes. She could still feel the limp weight of him in her arms.
“I lost someone too,” Leon said, heaving a heavy sigh. “When we got separated at the station, there was another survivor.”
Claire went still, listening carefully.
She'd known he hadn't fought alone through the entire night. Someone had bandaged the wound on his shoulder. She'd asked him about it while cleaning away the dried blood and grime from the sewers, but he hadn't wanted to talk about it then.
She hadn't pushed.
“She wasn't who she said she was. Claimed to be an FBI agent but was secretly a mercenary.” A small half-smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head slightly. “Still… she didn't deserve to die.”
They'd both lost so much.
Only then did it truly sink in just how terrified Claire was of losing him. Of losing one of the only people who could understand the kind of horrors they'd both been dragged into without warning.
The experience of killing people who had become monsters just to survive. Being hunted by things that weren't human anymore. Failing to save the people they cared about.
“Umbrella's taken so much,” Claire said quietly. “Will it ever be over? Will there be anything left when it's over?”
His hand squeezed hers again. Claire leaned closer without thinking, drawn toward the small comfort of his presence.
“There'll be us… if that's what you want.”
His smile was small and sheepish, but he didn't look away.
“I do. Given some time,” Claire admitted, a warm smile breaking through the darkness of the room.
“It's still up to us to stop them, right?” Leon asked. They shifted closer until their chests were almost touching. “Whatever it takes?”
“You bet your ass it is.”
She placed a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth.
Leon's hand immediately rose, gently cradling the back of her head with a tenderness that made her heart skip. Then their lips met again.
Hours later, Claire's eyes slowly fluttered open as pale morning sunlight slipped beneath the gap in the curtains. The room was mostly covered in shadow, no longer dark but quiet and still, the storm from the night before long gone.
She was half draped over him, the single bed barely wide enough to hold them both comfortably. Her head rested beneath his, auburn hair spilling across his shoulder in a loose mess.
She didn't move.
Instead, she let her eyes fall shut again, focusing on the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her. His breathing was calm, even, and still there.
It was early. Neither of them needed to leave for a while yet. For once, there was no emergency waiting for them and nothing to run from.
She could spare a couple more hours like this.