Chapter Text
Chris sat on the edge of his seat, rolling the stiffness from his shoulders. The mission briefing had been quick, the kind that meant things were already in motion. His team was set to move out in a few hours, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
He pulled out his phone and stared at his last message to Leon after he tried to dismiss him with I don’t need a babysitter Redfield.
Chris: I'll be in touch.
Leon hadn’t replied.
Chris exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck before typing.
Chris: Still in one piece?
The response came quicker than expected.
Leon: Barely.
Chris rolled his eyes.
Chris: Don’t be dramatic.
Leon took his time answering.
Leon: How's everything there? Are you on a plane yet?
Chris hesitated. Not yet.
Chris: Not yet. Should be soon.
Leon’s reply came a moment later.
Leon: Good. Then you can stop babysitting me.
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh.
Chris: Who said I was?
Leon: Just get some sleep on the plane and shut up.
Chris: I'm fine.
There was no reply after that. Chris let it go.
---
The minute the plane touched down and things were settled enough, Chris immediately checked his phone again. His mind had kept drifting back to Leon nonstop.
Was he eating? Actually resting? Or just sitting there, staring at the ceiling, lost in whatever dark place his head liked to drag him to?
No messages from Leon.
He debated for a moment before typing.
Chris: Don’t tell me you’re still awake.
It took a while, but then...
Leon: If I was asleep, I wouldn’t be reading this, would I?
Chris: You should be resting.
Leon: And you should be working. Go away.
Chris shook his head.
Chris: You’re real friendly tonight.
Leon: Bite me.
Chris smirked.
Chris: Tempting, but I’ll pass.
For a moment, he thought that was the end of it. Then—
Leon: How’s the mission?
Chris exhaled, debating how much to say.
Chris: From the looks of it, it'd be long and annoying!
Chris: You've eaten, right?
Leon: Oh, don't worry, Hunnigan practically spoon-fed me!
Chris huffed a laugh.
Chris: Well, that must’ve been a sight! It's a shame I missed it.
Leon: You have no idea!
There was a longer pause after that. Chris was about to put his phone away when Leon’s next message came through.
Leon: Be careful, Redfield.
Chris stared at the words.
Chris: Alright. You too.
He didn’t get a reply after that.
---
The next morning, Leon woke up feeling worse. His body was healing, but his patience was wearing thin. Being stuck in the hospital with nothing but his own thoughts was driving him insane.
Chris hadn’t texted since last night.
Not that Leon was checking.
(He was absolutely checking.)
By mid-afternoon, his phone finally buzzed. And Leon barely held himself from jumping on the phone.
Chris: Didn’t run off yet, did you?
Leon stared at the message. The timing was too perfect, almost like Chris knew.
Leon: No.
Chris: Good.
A minute passed. Then—
Chris: You okay?
Leon frowned at the question. He hovered over the keyboard for a long time before finally typing:
Leon: I should be asking you that. I’m not the one running around with zombies trying to take a bite of my ass.
Chris: Ha ha! I’m fine. You?
Leon: Still here.
Leon sent the message and exhaled slowly.
Chris: Just hold on a little longer. I’ll be back soon.
Leon didn’t reply.
Because he wasn’t sure he could.
---
Leon moved carefully, his footsteps nearly silent against the cold hospital floor. Hunnigan was finally gone, and the timing looked perfect. His body protested with every step—his ribs ached, and the dull throb behind his eyes reminded him he wasn’t at full strength. But that didn’t matter. He just needed to get out.
He had barely reached for the door handle when it swung open on its own.
Claire stood in the doorway, eyes locking onto him instantly.
Leon froze.
Her gaze flicked over him—fully dressed, bag slung over his shoulder, very clearly not supposed to be up and moving.
“…Seriously?” she said, voice flat.
Leon exhaled through his nose, straightening as much as his body would allow. Great.
Before he could even think of a response, Claire grabbed the front of his jacket and yanked him back inside with a force that nearly knocked him off balance.
“The hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped, slamming the door shut behind them.
Leon stumbled, catching himself against a wall as Claire released him. "Jesus, Claire—"
"No. Shut up." She didn’t even give him a chance to argue before she grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward the bed.
"Hey—!" He dug his heels in, but he was still too weak to put up much of a fight. "Claire, I swear to God—"
She shoved him down onto the mattress. Not hard enough to hurt, but with zero room for negotiation. "Sit. Down."
Leon glared up at her, jaw clenched. "I don’t need—"
"Oh, spare me." She threw her hands up. "What, you thought you’d just waltz out of here like nothing happened? After you overdosed and landed yourself in a fucking hospital?"
Leon looked away, lips pressing into a thin line.
Claire let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Unbelievable." She ran a hand through her hair, pacing once before turning back to him.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You can barely stand, and yet you’re here trying to—what? Sneak past a bunch of nurses? Limp your way home?"
Her hands went to her hips as she loomed over him, eyes burning.
"You were brought to the hospital unconscious two nights ago. Do you get that? Two nights, Leon." Her voice wavered, but her glare stayed firm.
Leon’s hands curled into fists over the blanket. "I’m fine."
Claire scoffed. "Yeah? You look fine. Definitely not like someone who collapsed alone in his apartment and could’ve fucking died."
Leon’s jaw tightened. "It wasn’t like that."
"It was exactly like that." Claire’s voice rose again, anger cracking at the edges. "You don’t get to stand there and pretend this didn’t happen. You scared the hell out of everyone, Leon! Hunnigan, Chris—He had to call me in the middle of the night telling me you were in a hospital cause you fucking overdosed!"
Leon flinched at that. He tried to shove down the guilt twisting in his chest, but it lodged itself there, heavy and unmoving.
Claire exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You didn’t even call me." Her voice was quieter now, but no less strained. "For six seventh months, Leon. After everything, after—you just disappeared. And now I find out you've been—" She cut herself off, pressing a hand to her forehead. "God, do you even realize how close you came to—"
Her breath hitched, and for the first time, Leon actually looked at her. Really looked.
She was pissed. But underneath that, buried just beneath the surface, was something else.
Fear.
Leon swallowed hard. His throat felt tight.
Claire exhaled, shaking her head. “I almost didn’t come.” Her voice was quieter now, but the weight behind it hit just as hard. “After Chris called me and told me what happened, I—” She hesitated, fingers clenching at her sides. “I wasn’t sure if I should come.”
Leon blinked. That… stung more than he wanted to admit.
Claire shook her head, laughing bitterly. “Can you believe that? I actually had to think about it.” She looked at him then, something raw in her expression. “Because after months of nothing—nothing, Leon—I didn’t know if you’d even want me here.”
Leon dropped his gaze, not wanting to see the look on Claire’s face.
“But I am here,” Claire continued, voice firm. “And I’m not leaving.”
Leon’s head snapped up. "Claire—"
"No." She sat down in the chair beside the bed, crossing her arms. "You're not running. You’re not pushing me away. You’re not pretending this didn’t happen."
Leon clenched his jaw. "What do you want me to say?"
Claire’s face softened, just slightly. “I don’t need you to say anything.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I just need you to stay... You’re not leaving," she muttered. "Not until the doctors clear you. Not until I say so."
Leon huffed. "And if I do?"
She gave him a flat look. "I will tie you to this bed."
Leon almost snorted. "Kinky."
"Shut up," Claire snapped, smacking his arm.
Leon winced, but the corner of his mouth twitched—just barely.
Claire sighed. "Just… stay put, okay?" Her voice softened slightly. "Let yourself be here for a minute."
Leon stared at the wall for a long moment. Then, finally, he let out a breath and slumped back against the pillows.
Claire watched him for a second before nodding, satisfied. "Good."