Work Text:
The first thing Chris saw when he opened his eyes were sunbeams. Golden light filtering through partially closed blinds, shining low through an open window to his right. The room around him was white from floor to ceiling, and it was filled with the sweet smell of fresh flowers that sat on a small table beside him, wafted closer by the cool breeze of an early summer evening.
He blinked blearily and fought the soreness in his muscles long enough to sit up, and for a moment he wasn't sure exactly where he was. It wasn't until he saw the IV tubing taped to his right forearm that it seemed to click, and the too-familiar stale undertone of bleach and cleaning products that permeated just beneath the floral scents in the air only further confirmed the obvious. His head felt heavy on his shoulders, aching as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to recall the events that had led him here.
He remembered a mission, though that didn't mean much. It was always a mission. Some outbreak, in some secret facility, filled with all sorts of monsters, and of course he had to be some kinda hero. He lifted his left hand to the back of his head where the ache was at its strongest, hissing when his fingers pressed across bare skin and stitches. They must have shaved a patch of his hair. He groaned at the thought, but if that was the worst of it, that wasn't so bad. After all, he could have been dead. At least then he wouldn't have been worrying about how good his hair looked.
Chris opened his eyes again, scanning the rest of the room until he caught a glimpse of a chair pressed into the corner. Someone was curled up there with their arms crossed, breathing slow and deep, and even through blurred vision Chris knew that it was Leon. He'd memorized the rise and fall of his chest, mapped every curve of his body more times than he could count. He wondered how long Leon had been waiting for him. He didn't even know what day it was, or how long he'd been out. It could've been one day, a week, maybe two? Chris had no way of telling. His head still hurt badly enough that the trauma was either very recent or very deep, or a combination of both, and his body felt like he'd been dragged under a bus. He swallowed hard.
"L-eon." Chris's voice came out scratchy and staggered, too quiet against the backdrop of machinery he was hooked up to.
He cleared his throat, trying again.
"Leon."
It was a little better. Louder, at least. Leon stirred in the chair, and Chris could see his eyes opening as he slowly lifted his head. When Leon's gaze finally landed on him sitting up in the bed, he rushed to his feet, almost tripping over himself as he surged forward.
"Chris!" he sounded relieved, yet when he reached the foot of the bed he stopped himself, gripping onto the railing there. He lowered his head, refusing to meet Chris's eyes.
"Hey." Chris cleared his throat one more time, trying to rid his voice of the gravelly scratch it had taken on. He reached out his hand, but Leon didn't even look up.
"Thought we agreed you needed be more careful," Leon spoke flatly.
Chris knew he was angry. He had every right to be. But he also knew that Leon would've done the same things if he'd been in Chris's position. Risking their lives was a side effect of their jobs. No point denying that.
"I'm alive, aren't I?" Chris chuckled dryly.
Leon's head snapped up, and Chris's partial smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared when he finally got a better look at the dark circles that surrounded his bloodshot blue eyes.
"You think this is funny?" Leon wasn't laughing. If anything, he looked as though he might cry.
"It took you three days to even wake up, Chris. For the first two they weren't even sure you would." Leon's tone was dripping with anger, and Chris hated it. But there was something deeper in it that he hated even more. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Leon squeezed the railing tight enough to make it shudder. Chris just nodded. It was his turn to not meet Leon's eyes now. He fixated on his fingers, picking at the itchy hospital blanket across his lap.
"And this fuckin' place…" Leon scoffed, motioning his hand around the room. A pause. "They didn't wanna tell me anything. Wouldn't even let me see you until you woke up."
Out of his periphery, Chris could see him shaking his head. He let him continue without interruption.
"The way the doctors described your condition...it was as if you were in fuckin' pieces."
Chris huffed softly, not quite a grunt, but definitely not a laugh.
"Just one piece, thankfully." He tilted his head, lifting it to look at Leon.
Leon couldn't match him, and he turned his eyes down again, gripping the railing with white knuckles. Chris waited a beat before he spoke.
"Hey…c'mere." He reached out his hand, beckoning Leon closer, but he didn't move.
"Please," he added, and Leon hesitated for another long moment before relenting. He shuffled slowly towards the side of the bed with a deep sigh, stopping just far enough that Chris might barely reach him if he pushed himself. He motioned for him again, hoping he would come nearer on his own. When he didn't, Chris just sighed softly and leaned as far as he could, grabbing Leon's arm and pulling him in hard. Leon's feet lifted off the floor and he fell on top of Chris haphazardly, who ignored the startled noise he made as he wrapped his arms tight around him.
"The hell, Chris?" Leon squirmed a bit in his grip, but ultimately his protest was weak. He turned his body, but he didn't want to move too much and potentially hurt Chris now that he was fully laying on top of him. He resituated instead, slotting his knees on either side of Chris's thighs until he was effectively sitting on his lap. Chris buried his face into the space between Leon's neck and chest, breathing him in deeply.
"I'm sorry." Chris's voice rumbled low in his throat, and Leon could feel the warmth of his breath cascading over his skin as he spoke. He wanted to stay angry, to act like he was more annoyed than he had been fucking terrified, but Chris's hands soothed across his back so softly that he couldn't stop himself from melting into him. His body slowly relaxed, and Chris only pulled him closer.
"I thought you were gonna die," was all he could say. It came out quiet against Chris's hair, almost strangled, like the words themselves hurt just as much to say as the fear had felt.
"I know." Chris rubbed his nose against Leon's pulse.
"And you promised…" Leon's throat burned, and his eyes pricked with tears that he tried to blink away.
"I know," Chris repeated, somehow even softer.
"You're a fucking asshole. You know that, too?" Leon bit out. Chris just huffed the ghost of a laugh into his collarbone. He maneuvered his hands to Leon's shoulders and slowly pushed him back until their faces were inches apart. Leon's bottom lip was trembling, his breaths stuttered. Chris reached up to swipe his thumb across Leon's cheekbone and he leaned into the touch like he had been dying for it.
"Yeah," Chris nodded softly. "I know." His eyes drifted to Leon's lips. They were chapped, an unfortunate companion to the darkness under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't been taking care of himself, and Chris was sure he hadn't. His eyebrows knit together as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across them. Leon huffed a small breath out of his nose.
"You almost died and you're still worrying about me." He shook his head. Chris looked back up to Leon's eyes, and under the shine of unshed tears was the familiar warmth that always made his heart ache. His face twisted with pain.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too." Leon's voice cracked on the last word, catching in his throat, and Chris leaned closer. He slotted their lips together, and Leon met him with a fevered urgency, putting all the words he still wanted to say into the kiss. Chris let his mouth open as Leon's tongue spoke for him.
Fuck you.
I was so scared.
If you'd have died I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.
I love you so much.
Leon's hands slid up Chris's sides, and under the thin fabric of his hospital gown he could feel the bandages that were wrapped tightly around his chest. Leon's touches lightened immediately. He pulled back from the kiss, just far enough to rest their foreheads together. He was breathing heavily, and a few of the tears he couldn't force away had left trails down his cheeks. Chris's hands splayed across Leon's back as he tried to anchor him to himself, to tether them together and never let go.
"I'm so sorry I made you worry." Chris buried himself into Leon's neck again, squeezing his arms tightly around his body as if the pressure alone could absolve him. He wanted to be trapped beneath him, to let Leon's weight ground him so fully that the pain would completely disappear. Leon's arms drifted over Chris's shoulders, and after a moment he tried to pull back futher, but Chris didn't loosen his grip. Leon couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled in his throat.
"Hey," he chastised. "Be careful. You're gonna pop your stitches, Redfield."
"Don't caaare," Chris mumbled. The words were muffled against Leon's neck. He just chuckled and shook his head.
"I do, bastard," Leon countered, but there was no real force behind it. He shifted slightly on Chris's lap, settling more comfortably against him.
"Or did you already forget somehow?" Chris slowly pulled his face away to look at him.
"Well…I did hit my head. Maybe I just need a reminder." He shrugged.
"Jesus, you really are such an asshole." Leon rolled his eyes, slotting his fingers into the hair at the base of Chris's neck, slowing his movements and taking care to avoid putting any pressure on the side of his head where the stitches were.
"I know," Chris whispered as he leaned in again, nuzzling his nose against Leon's cheek and pulling him even closer.