SILENT STORM β leon s. kennedy
s: where you, an D.S.O!agent and your designated partner, re9!leon, are stuck with ice, secrets, feelings and a fucked up research facility. overcoming your pride is needed to succeed on this mission, trust becomes survival and you both will need to rely on each other to make it out alive.
warnings: violence, gore, alcohol, weapons, scientific themes, slow burn, forced proximity, swearing, sexual themes, manipulation, ptsd, very psychological horror, heavy tension, fake relationship.
notes: i've been cooking this fic since the release of requiem, but i finally can publish this part. i've been obsessed with leon and resident evil for a while so i had to write him. i wanted it to feel like a story from the series besides the romance with reader, so this story is 90% plot, but don't worry, it will have delicious smut. i just wanted the relationship to be very structured and everything to flow naturally. i am also putting much effort to not make leon ooc. i understand most prefer straight up smut with no plot but i felt too compelled to create a whole universe for this lol. so this is one of five parts i have planned. hope you enjoy :)
awkward was an understatement to describe the vibe at that moment. his eyes traveled away from his boots, that had become uninteresting for him to stare, so he opted to gaze at yours.
it was bad enough going for a mission in the northernmost point of the world, only the thought of babysitting you already gave him a migraine.
you started acting as if wanted him to forget about your presence, cautious not to breath too loud so he wouldn't notice you sitting right there, a feet from him.
"there's no way i'm going to a god forsaken place with a incompetent rookie with no sense of self preservation." he argued, dropping your file on the desk of the big man.
"she's not a rookie anymore leon, it's been ten years, besides, it's not a request, it's an order." the man pressed and his subordinate scoffed. "she has a success rate of 94,98% in missions B to special grade, she's the second best agent of D.S.O."
"yourself, 'course." he spat without ceremonies. "you can plan your retirement after this is done, if that is what you're currently concerning about. you depart in a week." boss gave the ultimate.
when he saw your face contort in a disappointed one, discovering on the spot about him being the one assigned to the partnership with you, he felt his ego a little wounded. but he wasn't gonna let a brat like you get on his nerves and mess up everything.
leon sighed, coming back to the current situation where there was no turning back. he looked outside the circular window only to see the vast nothingness, scratching his stubble impatiently. it's been a few days stuck in that goddamn ship, and he already felt like dying.
you avoided actively, he tried and tried to find a suitable moment to discuss the plans for the mission with you, but every time he came near you ran from him as if he had something contagious.
when you entered your cabin to warm up your freezing feet he followed suit. "ahem." you heard the rough sound and snapped your head towards the door, almost resulting in whiplash. you immediately got up, ready to flee, only to notice the locked metal door behind him.
"try anything and i stab you." you drawl impatient about his shenanigans.
"chill. i just want to discuss the situation at hand." declared sitting by your side at the bed. "listen, i know you're not very fond of good ol' me, but we need trust and teamwork to accomplish this."
"don't lecture me, kennedy."
he scoffed shaking his head slightly. "we don't know what they have going on in that base, you and me already have seen very fucked up things, it wouldn't be absurd to expect the worst." articulated.
his relaxed, raspy voice made your hair stand on end as he disclosed his views and thoughts, like a threatened cat. you collected yourself to keep a bigger distance from him, even if it meant only a few more inches.
obviously, that sharp eyed bastard noticed. he hesitated a little before opening his mouth to speak. "do i... scare you somehow?" he tried not to sound so inquisitive.
even jumpy, you wouldn't admit feeling intimidated. "don't think too high of yourself." you sneered "i'll follow your plan for now, but if things go south you'll have to listen to me." unlocked the door and left him there alone.
your sleep schedule was getting fucked from the anxiety. the nights were longer, the days passed on a whim and it was easy to tire oneself even if doing nothing major.
it wasn't that cold in your shared cabin with leon since it wasn't so far from the boiler, but still felt suffocating being in the same shoebox as him. he pretended like he didn't notice you tossing and turning during the entirety of the time, and pretended he himself wasn't uneasy too, a man too prideful to admit he was having a hard time.
amidst your nightmares you called his name, taking him by surprise. he watched wide eyed as you pleaded him in your dreams. was you perhaps dreaming about that day? he wondered if he also spoke while having his nightmares. he grew accustomed along the years, but in the beginning they would make him wake up in a scream, trembling and without air in his lungs.
when you finally woke up in cold sweat and a tiny gasp, you just decided to quit trying to rest and exited to the deck, leon debating letting you be, but he thought the higher ups would blame him if you jumped into the frozen ocean and died, so he sneakily went after you.
at the corner, near the railing, you fiddled with your own communication device, grunting and slapping the malfunctioning appliance. in a fit ended up tossing it into the ocean, muttering curses.
only expected that the signal would be faulty in a desolate place like this.
the sound of leon's footsteps were swallowed by the waves, making you unaware of his presence. he preferred to observe you from a distance, getting a hold of his metal flask containing whiskey and downing a sip. old habits die hard, but he thought it was excusable since it was so cold and he could use a little warmth from the alcohol.
your slouched posture leaning against the rail gave away insecurity and for a moment he wanted to look inside your mind, to make sure you were not hesitating about the mission or anything as you both couldn't afford to falter and failure was out of question.
he made a vow with himself that he would call you on your bullshit if needed.
something he couldn't admit is that aging was making him softer, something he constantly tried to fix about himself. being soft and mellow was unrequited in a survival situation, he learned that a long time ago, and there would be no exceptions to his strictness, not even a undoubtedly traumatized girl.
slowly, the days passed, but the churning sensation of coming closer to danger only grew. that gut feeling indicating something was about to happen. it not came with the job, it was acquired, it made oneself tougher somehow, apprehensive.
the captain, the only one of the crew β as if that alone wasn't strange enoughβ served some greasy ass fish stew as in every meal.
"thank you again for your... hospitality." leon said politely tight lipped as the seedy, old man grinned, some of his teeth rotten, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, his skin looked unhealthily dull, bordering blue and he had that noisy, graveling breathing.
leon silently thanked himself it was only matter of time before you reached the island, hours maybe, and peeked over at your furrowed brows, unable to hide your discomfort, burying yourself more into your thick coat. he didn't allowed himself to feel bad for you.
your partner poked the dull, lifeless eye of the beheaded fish that was peeking through the broth as you watched disgusted, almost gagging.
"sorry, i don't have an appetite." you grimaced and stood. "must be the sea sickness." and disappeared towards the cabin.
everyday he ignored the sound of you throwing up and struggling as if it didn't reach his ears, and he definitely wouldn't point out how pale you had become from refusing to eat, even if the food was unappetizing.
you were a grownup and a professional agent, so you should well know that protein bars wouldn't be enough to supply calories and keep your body functioning.
"your wife has been very unwell these past days. are you two perhaps... expecting?" the unpleasant man spoke and leon's hearing caught up, dropping the spoon and making it clink against the metal bowl.
"my wife?" he raised a brow, the wrinkles in his forehead more prominent at that moment, pressing to see until where the guy would push.
"yeah. mrs. have been vomiting a lot in your shared cabin. i have a very good hearing." disclosed tapping a rugged ear.
oblivious of the conversation happening, you decided to search the kitchen for something less grueling to eat, maybe boil some vegetables, anything. you opened some compartments, hunted in boxes for any food stored. when you opened the lid to a rusty freezer your eyes almost jumped out of their sockets.
an ugly sight early in the morning, it was a lot of this oily cod used in the soup and a corpse, a frigid, frozen, crumpled man in uniform, his open eyes and mouth matching the fish surrounding him. he still had that terrified expression of upcoming death.
"are you saying you've been eavesdropping me and my wife? what are you? some kind of pervert?" voice dropping a few octaves, leon's stern expression was so convincing even himself felt like he could be the one fooled by his own lies.
the man began to stammer, leon's staring blue eyes seeming colder than the frozen water of the ocean.
"kennedy!" you screamed urgently.
he immediately stood, alarmed by your screeching. if you were to call him, it would be a very serious matter, he presumed.
"don't move a fucking muscle." leon barked before rushing to where you were. his grip already in his gun tucked in the holster.
when he saw your blank face and peeked inside the freezer, he sighed unimpressed.
"i've been eating these fucking fish..." he grumbled displeased, a gloved hand running down his face.
"it's the captain you moron!" you swatted his shoulder, grabbing your own gun. "that lunatic was probably planning to do the same to us."
it wasn't the first time something like that happened, it was easy to assume you two were like that guy's stolen cargo, shipping you to a ambush, or maybe he was a cannibal, who knew...
leon shoved you aside just in time to avoid a harpoon carving into your shoulder, scowling at the assassin by the door who yielded a fishing weapon.
the not-so-captain discarded the rope of the launched hook just to pick another and try to fire at you both again.
in quick thought you kicked the hook at your feet to leon's βthat promptly picked itβ knowing he wouldn't miss any target.
as expected of him, he didn't, bullseying it through the skull of the enemy that fell backwards with a thud.
you both eyed each other, waiting a moment for the adrenaline to settle. "great job, partner." he praised earning only a huff from you.
the ship began to turmoil. the sound of ice cracking was loud and you both rushed to the deck, the fog made it difficult to see but your eyes encountered approaching land.
panicking, you ran to the cockpit, almost stumbling over yourselves and each other. "where's the goddamn brakes of this thing?" leon exclaimed over the sound of clashing the thick ice made against the shell of the ship.
"this is not your porsche, kennedy!" you tried to turn the helm so that the ship wouldn't collide with the massive rocks not far ahead.
"thank god it isn't, because i think we're going to total it!" he dared to joke earning only a glare.
seeing you mustering up all your strength to turn the wheel and it barely budging, he offered his pair of hands, moving together in time to only slam the right side of the ship into the rocks, making the board shake violently almost sending you to the ground.
neither you or leon dared to stay in the boat any longer, knowing it would probably sink anyways since it was so old and rusty and the collision probably opened a hole in it.
the whistling wind made it challenging to traverse the glacial land. the heavy gear prevented you from freezing, but it made you slower. the sun almost seemed like it was about to set but it just followed the line of the horizon infinitely.
"do you think something could eat us out here?" you managed to ask surveilling around.
"probably polar bears." responded a little too casually and pulled his flask of whiskey again.
"do we have any bear spray?" you questioned choosing to ignore his decision to drink in a situation like that.
"it must have sank with the ship." his response made you shiver, not from the cold.
it was hard to keep up with his pace. he was walking fast and irritated because the gps was useless at that point.
"can you please slow down a little?" you muster, picking the pace up the slope. your lips were bluish and you couldn't feel the tip of your nose, fingers and toes. you were walking for hours and everything looked the same, rocks, snow, frozen grass and dirt, sometimes a lonely bush. you felt stuck in nowhere alongside that β competent but overall annoyingβ older guy. you sometimes braced yourself for an hypothetical scenario where he falls and breaks his hip bone because he forgot to take his osteoporosis medication, or whatever. but you were obviously overreacting, uncle was thriving. you'd say he was in his prime if you hadn't met him younger.
you couldn't help but noticing he only got bigger with the years. his shoulders covered most of your field of view from where you stood.
he stopped and turned around to respond looking down on you sharply. "i'm trying to get us out of this frozen wasteland as quickly as possible!" says a little snappy.
this close, you could really evaluate how the time didn't seem to be any harsh on him. the wrinkle in between his eyebrows as testimony from all the times his expression locked up in anger or concentration.
"i understand but it's unreasonable to waste energy rushing when the signal is jammed and we have no clue where we're headed!" you quarrel.
"well, it'd be not as extreme if you hadn't starved yourself in that boat, thinking you could survive off of protein bars!" debated, a bit of venom in his words.
seeing your taken aback expression turn into distaste, he felt bad, catching his own inconsideration towards your situation. "listen, i didn't me-"
"fuck ya, kennedy." you spat walking past him towards the top of the hill.
he inhaled sharply, trying to be the calm, controlled man he needed to be in that situation. he'd been through worst, he'd dealt with more distress. being stuck in the middle of the arctic circle with you wasn't going to be his ruin. hopefully.
at the chilly top, you strained your eyes against the white scenery, catching the glimpse of a building in the distance, partially buried beneath the frozen ground.
you almost jumped in joy, containing yourself in front of the gruff old man of a partner you had.
finally reaching the station, you looked at the biometric device that reflected your disheveled face. "visitor, please identify yourself." the robotic voice spoke.
before you could announce your identity, the gates opened and two geared people came up to you and leon. unbeknownst to you or them, the older agent already had a hand near his holster just in case.
they immediately recognized you two, saying your names out loud in confirmation. "we've been expecting you. director is waiting, come with us."
yours and leon's eyes were sharp in every detail of the facility. it looked like an ordinary lab, sometimes coated workers passed you with folders and samples.
"can you answer a few questions?" you promptly said observing the flow of work as you passed by the corridors of the facility.
"we're not allowed to disclose any information, the director will explain anything you might want to know about." the guy said continuing to walk ahead of you two.
leon just eyed you. his expression unreadable.
as you passed a indoor garden, filled with plants and strange flora your eyes locked in a enormous, colorful flower almost looking extraterrestrial. it kinda of shivered when you approached, flinching when the security guard spoke, as if sensitive to sound or aware of the environment.
"this way, miss. we discourage you touching anything for your own safety."
your feet quickly moved to return to your place beside leon, that observed his surroundings in a calculated manner.
at the end of a long corridor, a tall, slim, middle aged woman stood observing an ongoing experiment from outside the glass.
her kitten heels and fluffy long coat betrayed her position as the director.
"welcome, mr. kennedy and mrs. ______. it's a pleasure to have you here in our center. was it not a pleasant trip?" her smile gave you the heebie-jeebies as it seemed to stretch too much on her face.
you eyed each other. the silence thick after she noticed the tousled hair, chapped lips, tired expression on both of you.
"oh, pardon me. it's easy to forget we're in such a remote place if you're in my shoes." she offers an apologetic little laugh. "katheryn aster." her hand flew forward.
leon shook it with that gruff attitude of him. "it's our pleasure. now, you know why we're here, don't you?" he questioned.
she discreetly wiped her hand in the side of her coat since leon's glove was probably soggy and dirty from the way there but it didn't passed unnoticed by him.
"of course, procedural investigation. don't worry, if you were expecting to be ostracized for doing your job mr. kennedy, you can rest assured." she smiled politely. "oh, speaking of rest, you two must be exhausted, i had and accommodation prepared for you." she eyed you all over. "you look like you've been skipping meals, dear, are you alright?" her brows quirked scanning your face, her preoccupation didn't felt genuine enough.
"i'm fine." you simply respond, creeped.
she tuts in a pity manner. "feel free to bathe, get changed and sleep. the facility is equipped with heating insulation, so you don't need that much clothing." explained. "i'll have someone pick you two to a dinner where we can discuss our matters comfortably."
"thank you, for your generosity." you said before leon could give any more bad impression.
"don't mention dear." she waved you away.
the first thing you should do arriving at the quarters was looking for any signs of cameras or bugs, but the sight of a double bed in the suite made you waver, while leon just begin to search seemingly finding no signs of espionage.
"fuck my ass." you surge seeing he didn't even seem to care.
"that's an rather bad timed request." grumbled taking off his heavy coat and gloves.
"ugh. that's not-" you began as he headed towards the annexed room. "where ya going!?"
"showering? do you need something?" blinked unceremoniously.
"why are you- are you happy with this?" you gestured wildly towards the bed dissatisfied.
"it's whatever." he shrugged before disappearing into the bathroom.
for almost thirty minutes you sat there hearing the sound of the shower while mourning your decisions, until the man called for you, opening the door slightly.
"princess, could you pass me the towel?" he said a little too sweetly.
you cringed at the nickname and the tone, but still went towards his call. "there's no towels here, old man." said approaching the door before his arm caught your wrist and pulled you inside.
he was soaked, hair wet all over his eyes, only the goddamn towel wrapped around his hips. his serious expression refrained you from cursing him when he placed his finger over his own lips, shushing you.
the steam from the shower could be seen leaving his naked shoulders. your eyes wildly moved in panic but his body covered all your field.
"listen." breathed close to your ear, making you tremble. his eyes bore into yours as he pointed to the ducts that presumably lined every room in the facility.
something moved through them, a faint sound of patter. it disappeared not long after.
his pupils pulsed rapidly, purposeful. "there must be rats. you're not afraid of them, are you, sweetheart?" spoke lovingly, but you caught the undertone in his line.
your breath caught, searching for answers in his face, a little too close to yours. you simply shook your head, not knowing what to respond.
"it's been a while, why don't we shower together?" he took your shaking hand in his and you were pulled into the cabinet.
the water fell on both of you, drenching your clothes and hair. leon's two arms enclosed you against the tile. your pulse hammered. the glass fogging quickly.
his breath was on your neck then right below your ear.
"they can hear us. it's not something planted in the room, we must be careful." he whispered for your ears only, the noise of the water masking every word that might be heard outside that shower. that low, gravel voice almost made your legs jelly, but you understood quickly and nodded even if there was embarrassment all over your face.
your wet blouse clang to your skin uncomfortably and a furious blush crept up your neck, you folded under the weight of his gaze.
"oh, sorry, honey. i guess you're too tired for this. it's better if you just shower and we rest until dinner." retrieved speaking in that unusual sweet tone from before, probably perceiving your fidgety self.
leon left with that indecipherable, harsh expression. leaving you there, soaking beneath the warm embrace of the shower. you didn't even noticed until then you were holding your breath.
cleaning yourself, after checking several times if the door was truly locked and he wouldn't barge in suddenly, you reflected about leon's message.
you two searched the room for bugs and found nothing. perhaps the 'rats' in the ducts were the things spying on you. if that were the case, he would begin to act closer to you in a attempt to exchange information without being suspicious.
you weren't prepared to pretend having a close relationship with leon kennedy. your insides were all scrambled, you felt like you were going to throw up, but it wasn't disgust you felt.
the disorientation was too much. that man played a part on your trauma and looked at you like you were a child needing rescuing. your flesh felt prickly.
you should just smack him! yeah, next time he felt too comfortable to put you in a embarrassing situation you would kick his nuts!
later on you were led to the dining room, wearing the elegant steel gray two piece attire designated to you. you were unsure about the heels as your tactical boots were much more comfortable and suitable for an emergency situation, but wore them anyway.
leon gave you a once-over, humming in endorsement with a smirk. it made you puff your cheeks out and flip him off. he wore a clearly high-end sweater with dress pants, leather shoes and a overcoat. you couldn't lie to yourself and not mentally admit he didn't look good.
something prickled his wrist, making him wince and fidget with the inside of his sleeve, pulling a pin out of the fabric and tossing it aside.
"serves you right." you mock and he just hums
at the fireplace, katheryn stood, calm and collected, waiting for your arrival like a good host.
"good evening you two." she greeted clasping hands. "oh much better like this!" approved your attire and motioned for you to sit.
you sat across from leon and katheryn at the end of the table. when you saw the food you almost cried, but refrained your fatass from making a scene.
as per procedure, you and leon only ate the dishes the director also ate, and never before her.
"the facility has approximately 150 workers. it has four levels and a greenhouse. we mostly experiment in specimens of the local wilderness but when human analysis are needed the staff is quite... eager to be useful." she explains almost entertained. "most of the studies consist in observing the reaction to pathogens, replicate the good aspects and discard the bad ones from the dna." she sighed. "it's an uncut diamond my late husband left for me."
"looks simple the way you put it." you chimed in trying to catch up to every detail. "i'm sorry about your husband, though." you express politely.
"taking over his business is one resilient way to grieve, it's admirable." leon pointed.
"i appreciate it." she smiles sorrowful. "he died before his thesis was concluded, he studied about biological interactions and how we could improve them." she told. "it requires a unique sense of morality, dear, as we work with things most of the people describe as destructive." the director articulates.
during all course of the dinner, she let that burdensome silence establish. watching you completely still, evaluating the way you looked at each other, ate and of course the way you reacted to what she was explaining.
"it's like umbrella all over again." leon protests.
"i understand you must be skeptical about our work mrs. kennedy, i know about the incidents regarding bioterrorism."
the wrinkles in his forehead deepened as his brows furrowed.
"we're just trying to save human kind. the hive mentality is leading us to collapse, separation is inefficient, connection is a must." her conviction seeping through her words.
you blink, a little puzzled. "not literally, you mean..."
"well, of course not my dear, it's not even biologically possible." she smiles reassuringly.
"what about differences? what about dreams, skills, ideas?" leon points, skeptical. "being one erases the very purpose of being, individuality."
she laughs humorlessly as you both eye each other taken aback by her reaction.
"cogito ergo sum." katheryn aster sighs. "i think, therefore, i am." her eyes land on you, probably scanning for weaknesses, when you didn't waver, she turned to leon. "when trying to prevent the extinction of a species, there's no such thing as individuality, mr. kennedy." stated dead serious.
aster's semblance was static, her eyes slightly widened as they bore into your partner's unconvinced face.
you could cut the air with a knife so the best option was to cough in hopes it would stray away from that topic.
it was risky to press aster too much for answers since you were working with them diplomatically.Β it was best to be cautious when collecting data.
"wine mrs.?" she offered while the waiter poured the glass. you shook your head promptly, wiping the corner of your mouth.
"no, thank you." you mouthed, collected.
"what a pity. how about you mr. kennedy?" katheryn proposed. the waiter stalled waiting for the response.
"umm..." he gulped unsure.
the director was faster and motioned for the cup to be poured. "it's a 60 years old bordeaux, i'm sure you'll appreciate."
he watched the red liquid with eyes glinting. you heard about his tendencies before, but you didn't imagine it would be so hard for him to fight his urges.
so when he motioned to pick the glass you interrupted, pulling it towards you. "actually, we agreed that you would stop drinking. yeah honey?" cutting him off of his own thoughts. stretching your leg the farthest it could to kick his shin below the table.
"ahem! yeah, i'll pass." he eyed astonished as you downed the wine in one go.
katheryn laughed surprised at your attitude. that kind of rich laugh that lacked humor. she leaned back on the chair pleased. "you are a very charming couple. your wife is lovely mr. kennedy, my my!" mused.
leon pressed his lips. "she is, indeed." declared while nudging your foot.
"since when have you been together?"
"since not long after our first partnership, ten years ago." leon simply said, but shifted in his seat awkwardly when the director waited, pressing for details. "she caught my eye, this fierce temper of hers. i thought she was a brat, yes, but once you know her, it's hard not to devote yourself."
you almost chocked, stopping your chewing and stared at him perplexed. his pale eyes swallowing you whole. how could he say that with a straight face?
it was so bizarre to see leon lying so easily like that. a true manipulator.
"sweetie, this man loves you so much is sickening!" mrs. aster bantered sipping on her wine and you just eyed leon that still observed you.
"yeah, he better." commented with a scowl.
"you don't speak too much, do you?" she directs the attention to you. "i assume you just let him do all the talking?" aster's focus on you had you feel like a deer in the headlights, and when you didn't answer, in a loss for words, she just tilted her head, not bothering to avert her gaze. "hm?"
"he's just more... straightforward."
"oh, so he's the brains, you're the heart?" her body leaning towards you, interested.
"more like, i'm the brains, he's the brawn... we share a heart." you say glueing your eyes to your plate, a little flustered. leon tapped his enormous foot in one of your heels, assuringly. silently approving your response.
when you raised your gaze to him, you saw a flicker of tenderness in his eyes.
by the time the dinner was over, leon could catch a series of important information and discrepancies the director let slip. he cut the night short the time he noticed you wandering and hiccuping occasionally.
"feel free to roam the base as you please tomorrow, there must have only a couple of areas restricted for access." she added as you two legt the table. "i'm trusting you won't wander where you shouldn't." her smile drops when you're not looking.
you stumbled across your own feet, swaying wildly and giggling to yourself.
"watch your step." grabbed your arm preventing you from tripping in the middle of the corridor.
"it's these damn heels." you slurred, not giving up on going forward and swatting his hands away, miffed by his attempts to help.
"jesus, who gets drunk with only a glass...!?" he grumbles trying to balance your arm across his shoulders but you protested. "unbelievable..."
then he swiped you off your feet with a hand on your torso and the other behind your thighs.
"so gentlemanly!" you exasperated, bitter. he struggled to keep his own balance as you fought clumsily to make him let you down, but to no avail.
groggy, you rambled the whole way, staring at the plain ceiling of the hall.
"i must confess, kennedy, you don't look half bad dressed like this. you're rather handsome. " you slur, admiring him shamelessly which made him scoff. "you're killing it, grandpa. how old are you again, 62?"
"... right... and my parents planted a watermelon in my moms belly instead of fucking."
"what made you drink the wine?" he questioned curiously and observed you blink slowly, collecting your scrambled thoughts. he almost could see the gears on your head rotating.
"not many people carry whiskey with them everywhere they go." you spat earning a defeated chuckle from him.
"you can't fool me, kennedy, i read every single one of your reports!" you reveal recklessly. your face turned bright red the second you realized your mistake, but leon was... amused.
"now i get it. i'm dealing with a fan." he bantered and you grumbled indignant. "or maybe my archenemy."
by the time you were already knocked out on the bed, leon cleaned his gun, covering for you two just in case anything happens. his thoughts misled into remembering what you said while tipsy earlier, finding cute your drunken version and realized was way softer with him.
the next day you two were introduced to the lab with the aid of one of the staff, a young man, who informed he would be the one to answer all the questions you might had.
he was polite, but was a lot introspective. he didn't even bother to acknowledge the occasional unfunny joke leon threw, let alone laugh.
the guy lead you through different kinds of stations and explained a little about every activity, in a very methodical way.
their staff was efficient, almost automatic in their work. it made you suspicious about whether they all were so serious about the job or just weren't allowed to deviate from it for a second long.
then you watched some of the staff experimenting on another one of theirs, with wires attached all over their head, sitting stiffly in a chair.
"you really do experiment in humans..." leon commented.
the guy simply turned to you and him and said deadpanned. "human? this is a giant guinea pig."
you shivered all over, and leon grimaced.
"it's a joke. it's just a simple EEG." the scientist declared. "i was under the impression that you liked jokes, mr. kennedy."
"i do, but-" he stammered a little dumbfounded.
"let's continue!" you rushed trying to get past the weird atmosphere that was created.
at the end of the day, you only got to see the first level, but it was so big your mind was a little scrambled trying to gather all the details. the staff left you by yourselves in a room meant for rest and socializing, although you were the only ones there.
with the promise of coffee, he went to the annexed room. the perfect timing for discussing the details with leon.
he promptly spotted a camera high up the corner of the room and leaned on the table with his back facing it.
"i read some of the notes when no one's was looking" you disclosed quietly. "it's data gathered about local species and how they respond being exposed to certain toxins and parasites found in the region's biome."
"does it fit in bioterrorism?" leon raised a brow and crossed his arms. you couldn't help but notice his forearms bulging, immediately shaking any unwanted thought away from your mind.
"animal cruelty at worst." you sighed. "but it feels like something is wrong, kennedy, these people are weird! they even blink in sync!"
"i fear that's no crime, sweetheart." he said, too naturally.
"aster." you mouth. "it feels like she's dissecting us. her questions are cornering, her ideas are distorted."
he waved you off. "i'm sure we're misunderstanding something..."
it must be because they were being watched. you saw the camera move by the corner of your peripherals, quietly adjusting its position.
"don't worry, we'll be home soon." his eyes held uncertainty, but his voice was unwavering. "c'mere."
you yelped when he pulled you to an embrace, circling his arms around you. your hands flew to his chest instinctively to avoid colliding into his body too hardly.
his fingertips felt electrical, making you hyper aware of every glide of touch. his warmth seeped into you and he whispered. "relax. they're watching us." his eyes averted to the door, signaling.
it made you exhale, shuddering.
"let's put up a show." leon murmured before glissading his lips through the curve of your neck.
the gasp you let out was totally audible to anyone who pried at that moment. nimble fingers closing in fists of his shirt. his hands lingered on your hips while he nuzzled his stubble on your shoulder resulting in you biting your bottom lip, ecstatic.
it felt right in that moment. how could that annoying middle aged man be such an womanizer? he knew exactly what he was doing.
his eyes were sharp on the window of the door leading to where the staff was, studying your proximity. leon was invested in making they buy it, ignorant to the fact he was making you melt in his arms. too deep in the act.
long gone, you grabbed his chin suddenly. your hazy eyes and heavy breathing made him get a grasp of the reality. you were too into it.
"oh shit." he thought, but his body betrayed him, letting you lean dangerously closer.
your mind was foggy when you licked your lips, hungry for his. leon gulped, hesitantly. it was a invitation he almost considered accepting, seeing you so eager to please, but pulled away releasing you from the trance.
the staff was still observing you through the window. his expression blank, standing there obnoxiously, blinking slowly.
leon's grip on your hips intensified, almost protective, scowling at the guy expecting him to get flustered and scram. the message of boundaries never reached, and the guy stood there, creeping.
ps: let me know your thoughts and theories, they'll be much appreciated <3 pt.2 coming soon
snowghoul
izzy806
prguitarman
amandla
discoholicmusic
