Chapter Text
The longer you and Leon spend down here, the harder it becomes to remember what things were like outside.
The sleek floors gleam beneath the bright lights, creating figures as you move. On the walls are observation windows revealing empty laboratories, their equipment left exactly where lab workers had abandoned it days ago. As you pass by each window, you get lost in thought wondering how this is all going to end. It had started feeling like you would be stuck here forever.
Neither of you speaks for several minutes but the shared silence has long stopped feeling uncomfortable. Now it feels more like a pleasant break.
Every so often Leon checks another room, sweeping it with his flashlight before gesturing for you to follow. It’s become a rhythm between you two. He clears the room, you follow behind and search it for anything useful. Supplies, files, anything he could deem beneficial to survive or whatever will bring you closer to finding your father.
Every carcass you see lying around makes your heart jump, fearing one of them might have that familiar face. Each pile of paperwork makes you stop and look through each sheet, checking for any answers.
“You don’t have to check every office.” Leon’s voice is gentle.
You stop in front of a workstation, your fingers lingering over the framed family photo sitting beside the monitor. It isn’t your dad.
“I know.”
“You’ve looked at every nameplate.”
“…I know.” Your words come out a little harsher than you had intended and your chest instantly aches with guilt.
He walks over, resting one hand lightly against the edge of the desk instead of rushing you.
“I’m sorry. I just…” You sigh. “If I stop looking…”
“You feel like you’re giving up.”
You nod.
“I keep thinking…” You admit, your eyes fixed on the photo of the unknown family. It depicts a young couple and their child, sitting at a bench in a park. Back when everything was still normal. “What if he was sitting right here when it all happened?”
The words leave a lump in your throat. “What if he couldn’t evacuate in time?”
Leon doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he quietly picks up the employee badge lying beside the monitor, checks the name, then sets it back exactly where it was.
“I think if we haven’t found him yet, it might be a good sign. Maybe it means he did escape.” His hand gently rests on your shoulder, making you shift your attention towards him. “It’ll be okay. I’m not leaving you until we get answers.”
You sigh, giving him a small nod. You know that you’re probably overthinking things and assuming the worst but this whole situation makes it impossible not to let your thoughts spiral. “Maybe you’re right. I don’t mean to be pessimistic. I feel like this is all I’ve talked about tonight.”
You feel his hand move away from your shoulder, dropping to his side. You find yourself wishing it has stayed on you for a bit longer. “My dad used to work late.” he says after a while.
You glance over.
“He’d miss birthdays sometimes.” A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “My mom hated it.”
You blink. It’s the first time he’s mentioned his family.
“He always said…” Leon laughs softly to himself. “that someday I’d understand.”
“Do you?”
He thinks for a moment, his face slightly contorting into a dissatisfied expression. “It’s much more complicated than that. They both did some awful things and after they were gone, I never really got answers.”
You can't help but shrink at his words, feeling both compassionate towards him and terrified for yourself. Whatever it is he’s talking about, whatever had happened with his parents, you keep hoping you won’t have to go through anything similar.
“I understand how you’re feeling. I want you to get answers. And you will.” His voice cuts into your thoughts, yanking you back into the present. “For now, we need to keep moving.”
The room falls quiet again and you nod at him, stepping behind him as he leads the way back into the hallway. This time, the space between you feels noticeably smaller.
Ahead, Leon pauses at another security door. “Looks locked.”
You lean beside him to read the terminal, your shoulder almost pressed against his. “You think everything in this place has a lock?”
“I think Umbrella really liked making people’s jobs complicated.” He jokes.
A small chuckle escapes you before you can stop it. It echoes surprisingly loudly in the vastness of those halls and you immediately bring a hand up to cover your mouth.
Leon smiles.
“There it is.”
“There what is?”
“You laugh.”
Heat creeps into your cheeks. “Usually not in situations like this. I’m sorry.”
His grin grows just a little. “No.” he says quickly, still smiling. “Don’t be.”
For just a second, neither of you looks away. It’s strange. You hardly knew him a day ago. Now standing this close to him somehow feels natural.
Your eyes drift to the bruise that formed beneath the collar of his uniform where that giant man grabbed him at the parking garage. Without giving it much thought, you reach up.
“God. Your neck…”
Your fingertips barely brush the skin below his jaw before your brain catches up with your hand, making you freeze.
So does he. The touch lasts hardly a second. You pull away so quickly that if someone else were watching, they'd probably think his skin burned your hand. It felt that way to you, too.
“I’m–”
“It’s okay.”
“I just…” You look everywhere except at him. “It looked like it hurt.”
“It does. But… not because of that.”
Your heart stumbles and before either of you can find the courage to say another word, a computerized chime echoes from the other side of the locked door.
Both your heads snap towards the sound. The moment withers away, and you notice yourself feeling a little irritated about it. Leon clears his throat, rubbing the side of his neck where the bruise is.
“We should get this thing opened.”
“Yeah.”
Leon raises his wristband to the scanner.
ACCESS GRANTED.
A pleasant chime sounds and the locks retract.
“There we go.”
The door shudders violently, sliding open just a couple of inches before stopping with a loud metallic clunk. It closes shut again, not moving another inch.
Leon frowns. “Seriously?”
He plants both hands against it and tries to force it open, but it doesn't seem to be working. You step beside him, trying to slide the door open with him. It’s pointless.
He crouches, shining his flashlight into the narrow gap where the door should slide.
“It looks like it’s off the track.” He sighs. “Or something might be blocking the way. Reader still works, door doesn’t.”
Your eyes scan around the room while Leon studies the frame. You don’t see much. Pipes, electrical panels, some locked cabinets. And then…
“Leon.”
“Hm?”
You point upward.
An air vent sits above the doorway. The grate hangs crookedly from one hinge, the other three corners already loose. He follows your gaze.
“Do you it goes through?” You ask.
“Let’s find out.”
You both stare at it for a second. Then, almost at the same time, your eyes drift towards each other.
“I’m guessing I’m the one climbing in there.” You scoff.
A tiny smile tugs at the corner of Leon’s mouth. “I wasn’t gonna say it. But yes. You’ll fit.”
“I know.”
“You okay with that?” His eyebrows raise with both entertainment and concern. You look back at the vent, nodding.
“I think I’ve got it.”
The vent is still a good eight feet off the ground. Leon measures the distance with his eyes before looking back at you.
“I can give you a boost.”
You nod. Neither of you moves immediately. Suddenly, it feels a little awkward again. There’s really only one way to do this.
Leon clears his throat.
“So… uh…”
He gestures vaguely. “I’m probably gonna have to…” He doesn’t finish the sentence. You save him from having to.
“Lift me.”
“Yeah.”
His ears turn the faintest shade of pink. “If that’s alright.”
“It is.”
He steps closer to you. “Ready?”
You nod again.
He bends slightly. “Step here.” You place your boot into his interlocked hands, grabbing onto his shoulders for support.
“Got me?”
“Yeah.”
With one smooth motion, he lifts. You grab for the vent but you’re not quite there yet.
“Little higher.” You call down to him.
“I’ve got you.” He pushes you up more. Your hands reach the edge of the vent, shoving yourself up enough to be half dangling from it. His hands move instinctively up to your waist, just enough to keep you up there without falling.
The contact lasts only a second, but it catches you completely off guard. His hands feel warm and comforting through your shirt. He’s steady and careful, never letting his hands linger any longer than they need to.
You push yourself forward, now half inside the vent. “I’ve got it!” You call out.
Leon doesn’t let go until he feels your weight leave his hands.
“You sure?”
“Yes. I’m good.”
Only then does he step back. You shimmy yourself into the duct with a grunt, brushing dust from your sleeves.
“Well…” you call, looking into the darkness ahead. “I’ve definitely been in nicer places!”
Leon chuckles somewhere behind you.
“I was gonna say it looked cozy.”
You laugh quietly.
“Be careful in there!” He calls to you. The smile slips from your face, his words reminding you of everything that’s happening.
“I will. I’ll unlock the door as soon as I find the controls.”
“I’ll be right here.” Something about the way he says it soothes your nerves.
You turn your flashlight towards the narrow tunnel ahead and begin to crawl. Behind you, Leon waits beneath the vent, quietly hoping you’d be together again before anything else found either of you.
Clumps of dust cling to your clothes as you crawl your way through. A faint light shines ahead of you, an opening. You carefully push the grate aside and peer down. Another empty room.
“Leon?” you call out through the vent.
“I’m here.” His voice comes muffled from the other side of the wall behind you.
Dropping down, you land with a dull thud, wincing as your knees absorb the impact.
The room around you is small, more of a maintenance room than a laboratory. Exposed wires coming out from the ceiling, and an emergency toolbox lies turned over in one corner. There are metal crates around you, holding all sorts of metallic devices. You turn, facing the other side of the security door.
“Can you open it?” Leon calls out to you.
“I think so.” You gather all your strength and try to push the door back into its track but it won’t budge. You plant your feet and push harder. Still nothing.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” You groan, making another effort to shove the door into place.
“Not working?” Leon asks.
You give the door another hard push. “No. It won’t budge.”
Now kneeling beside the track, you peek into the small opening between the door and the wall. A thick steel support beam has collapsed across the rail, twisting it inward. Even from this side, you can tell it isn’t something either of you could move. You slam your body weight against the door anyway.
Again nothing. Leon tries from his side at the same time. The door shivers between you two but refuses to move any farther. You step back, breathing harder than you should be.
“It’s blocked!” You yell out, your voice now higher with panic.
Leon is quiet for a moment, then you hear him test the door himself. “I don’t think we can force it.”
The realization settles over both of you at the same time. You’re trapped on opposite sides. You look back up at the vent you dropped from, but it’s too far up to reach on your own.
“Leon?”
“I’m right here.”
His voice sounds closer now. He’s standing right against the door. You mirror him, resting your hand against the cold steel. It isn’t the same as having him by your side, but somehow it helps.
“I don’t like this.” you admit.
“I know.”
“What if…” You stop yourself.
“What if what?”
“Nothing.”
He waits patiently, not saying anything.
“What if one of us can’t find the other again?” You blurt out, the words coming out weaker than you intended.
For a long second, the only sound is the low hum of NEST. You know that he's thinking hard about what he should say. Eventually, Leon speaks.
“We will.”
You close your eyes, slumping with disappointmentat his blank response. “You don’t actually know that.”
“I do.” His answer comes so quickly it catches you off guard and has you wondering if he actually means it. “We’ve made it this far. So here’s what we’re gonna do.” He continues. His voice shifts back into that calm, reassuring tone you’ve started to recognize.
“This place has to loop back around somewhere. We keep moving. If either of us finds another way through, we meet back here.” You hear him impatiently tapping his finger on the other side of the metallic door. “But if you can get yourself out of here altogether, just do it. Save yourself and don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t–“ The sound of him firmly saying your name interrupts you. Hearing him raise his voice like that only serves to remind you how serious this is.
“Do you understand?” He asks.
You think for a minute. You want to get out of here, but you don’t know if you’ll be able to leave him here. The only way you can be at peace is if you can somehow be entirely sure he’ll make it out as well. Still, you decide to do as he says, resting your forehead lightly against the door.
“I understand.”
On the other side, you hear him exhale.
“Good.”
Neither of you moves yet. Your eyes begin to sting with tears as you hear his steady breathing on the other side of the door. Twenty four hours ago, you didn’t know Leon Kennedy existed and now the thought of walking into another part of this nightmare without him makes your entire body feel uncomfortably hollow.
Finally, Leon breaks the silence. “You should get going.”
“Alright.” You breathe out, your hands twisting tightly around themselves as a way to ground yourself. “You’ll be okay?”
“I’m not planning on going down easy.”
You laugh softly.
“There you are again.” His voice comes hushed from behind the door. “Laughing.”
You shake your head, smiling to yourself even though he can’t see it. “You pick really odd times to notice things.”
“I guess I do.”
The smile fades as reality settles back in and you take one last glance at the metal door.
“See you soon.”
“See you soon.”
The words feel far from possible. It’s as if neither of you believes them, but saying them out loud will somehow ensure you'll both see each other again. You turn away, adjusting your eyes to the darkness of the mostly empty room ahead. Behind you, Leon waits until your footsteps fade into the distance and only then does he turn in the opposite direction.
For the first time since leaving the police station, you were truly alone.