The world is oftentimes such an ugly place, but sometimes it can be so beautiful.
Like, when two choirs, one from Croatia and the other from Zimbabwe, met on the opposite sides of a Lisbon subway station and both sang to each other.
I unfortunately do not know what the Zimbabwe children choir sang to them (although it was so beautiful), but the Croatian klapa Kastav sang 'Kuća puna naroda' (a house full of people).
And let my reward be a house full of people,
my life, give me a voice, so I can embrace you with songs.
Pairing: RE9!Leon Kennedy x fem!Reader
Summary: As if your smartwatch notifying you of your increasing heart rate isn't embarrassing enough, it's almost as if Leon's purposefully making your heart skip a beat. Even if it was unintentional, he's very aware of your reaction. Just when things are warming up between you and Leon, someone decides to try to step in to ruin the picture.
Note: This is part two of Heartbeat, but it can be read as a standalone fic:) Thank you so much for the love for my very first Leon fic! It makes me happy to see that people really enjoyed it and wanted another part. I had to make part two. A lot more is happening, as you can see from the word count hehe. I hope you guys like it tho :') Anyway! I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).
Warning: Violence, blood, ooc characters until I get used to writing for Resident Evil, annoying side character named Patrick—Patrick in this fic is not from Resident Evil Infinite Darkness, slight hurt/comfort
Word Count: 10.8k
There have been a few subtle changes around the DSO building: a few new hires, faster, stronger internet, and new equipment for every department in the DSO. It's the smallest things that make everyone's job a bit easier and less of a hassle to deal with.
Oh, and this budding romance between you and Leon! It's fascinating to witness the relationship between you and Leon start as a horrifyingly embarrassing introduction to one another—more embarrassing on your end, then slowly sprout into something more endearing and almost fragile.
God, you're such a mess—an adorable one to Leon. You try your hardest to be professional around Leon, but sometimes it's hard for you to make eye contact with the DSO agent because he's been through so many things and has so much experience on and off the field compared to you, a rookie in this field of work. It's definitely not because you're enamored with thee Leon S. Kennedy.
You thought that as time goes by, the more you see Leon and work alongside him, all of this (the heart racing, blushing, intentionally embarrassing yourself) would come to a stop eventually. Boy, you were wrong. Leon is fantastic at being professional on the clock, but you? You're also great at that, but there have been some instances where you do slip up. Luckily, that goes unnoticed with your other coworkers, but not with Sherry or Leon.
While Leon is great at keeping it strictly professional on the clock, he still finds ways to show that he thinks/or cares about you. Leon usually arrives at the DSO building early in the morning before you do. He makes sure to get you something to eat—like a donut or breakfast sandwich, along with coffee— and leaves it at your desk before you arrive.
You enter the office, checking your watch to see if you're late. There was heavy traffic, and you were stuck on your way to work, but thankfully, you made it just in time. You nearly rip your hair out of your head when you realize that there's a possibility that you're going to be late to work, and you're never late to work because you leave the house earlier than you need to. That means you usually skip breakfast.
"8:58 AM, not bad." You mutter, "But not good either. Maybe I should leave a bit earlier next time." You fix the strap of your tote bag on your shoulders and make your way to your desk.
On a good day, when there's light traffic, you would stop by somewhere to get something to eat. Sometimes you make breakfast at home and eat and finish your breakfast in the parking lot of the DSO building. But today is a bit out of the ordinary because when you arrive at your desk, there are two donuts on a small paper plate with a coffee cup beside it, sitting on top of a napkin.
You look around, wondering if everyone else has donuts and coffee on their desk. You turn back to your desk, your head tilting to the side, before you pull your chair out from underneath your desk and hang your tote bag on the armrest.
"Good morning, [Y/N]! Glad to see you arrive on time," Sherry says, leaning against your desk as she watches you turn on your computer.
You sigh in relief. "Morning, Sherry. I'm glad I made it on time, too. Almost didn't make it because of the heavy traffic on my way here." You enter your password on your computer.
"Well, it's a good thing you made it here on time because I heard from someone that you're going to be training the new recruit," Sherry replies, sipping on her coffee.
You pause what you're doing and slowly turn to her. "I am? This is news to me. Have I been working here long enough to be qualified to train the recruit? I'm still new, aren't I?"
"That, I don't know. But according to Zhao, you've been outperforming people in your department, and you're a fast learner. I can see why they would want you to train the new recruit now that things around here are picking up."
You nod, reaching for the coffee cup and taking a sip from it. "By the way, do you know who put the coffee and donuts on my desk? I want to thank them later when I see them."
Sherry's eyes light up. "It was Leon! He arrived early today and decided to get you coffee and donuts for breakfast before heading off to his meeting."
Your heart flutters in your chest. "I will have to thank him later," You smile as the apples of your cheeks become warm. "Do you know how long his meeting will be?"
She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure, but I heard it has to do with an outbreak that's connected to Raccoon City."
"An outbreak connected to Raccoon City? Is Leon going to be sent out on a field mission soon?" Your heart falls into the pit of your stomach, making it almost impossible for you to swallow the warm coffee. You press your lips into a thin line, nodding, trying to act nonchalant. It's part of Leon's job; it's not something he's never done before.
"You alright?" Sherry asks, gazing at you worriedly.
You nod. "I'm fine. I'm still trying to wake up and mentally prepare myself to train the new recruit, which was new information."
Sherry gives your shoulder a light squeeze before walking to her desk. You move your seat closer to your desk and sigh. There's a very high chance of Leon being sent out to where this outbreak takes place for a mission. You reach for the donut and take a bite out of it; it's still warm and soft.
Thirty minutes go by, and Leon emerges from the meeting room, and his eyes immediately lock in on where you're sitting. He sees you squinting at your monitor with a donut in one hand. A smile appears on Leon's face when he sees a donut glaze on the corner of your lips.
Leon approaches where you're sitting, nodding to Sherry as he passes by her desk. Standing by your desk, he watches you do your work while snacking on the donuts he bought for you. You look up from your monitor and smile at Leon, reminding him of a smiling fox. Can you be any cuter?
"Morning, Leon—Mr. Kennedy! I hope your meeting went well," You say shyly, putting the donut on the paper plate and wiping your fingers with the napkin.
"Morning to you, too, Miss. [L/N]. Enjoying the donuts and coffee?" Leon asks, gesturing to the pastry and beverage.
You nod. "I am! Thank you for the donuts and coffee. It's very much needed after what I dealt with today so far." Despite your cheerful response, the smile doesn't reach your eyes.
Leon frowns and speaks in a low voice, "Are you alright? What's worrying you?"
You purse your lips, debating whether you should let him know about what Sherry has told you, or act like nothing is wrong and that you were just having a rough morning with being almost late to work due to traffic.
Leon reaches forward and smooths the creases between your eyebrows. Your heart skips a beat, making your breath get caught in your throat. You clear your throat and nod, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly.
"I'm fine, Leon—Mr. Kennedy."
Leon raises his eyebrows at you. "But…?"
"There's a possibility you're leaving to go on a field mission soon, and that means I won't get to see you around until you return, and we don't know how long that will be. I'm also worried about your safety, but this isn't your first day on the job, so why am I worried?" Is what you want to say to him, but the words are stuck in your throat. Instead, you sigh, shaking your head. "It's nothing."
Leon frowns. "We'll talk during lunch, alright?"
You nod, earning a light, reassuring squeeze on your shoulder from Leon as a response before he walks away. You hate to see Leon go, but you sure do love to watch him leave. You sink into your seat and proceed where you left off on your work, finishing your donut and coffee.
"Everything will be okay," You whisper, ignoring the buzzing of your smartwatch.
Whenever you're stressed or worried about something, Leon does his best to comfort you. Sometimes he doesn't know what to say in these situations, but he's always there with open arms to give you a hug when you need it.
That very same day, during your lunch break, you and Leon are dining at a restaurant a few miles from the DSO building. Both you and Leon are tucked away in the corner of the restaurant, away from prying eyes and ears. It feels a little awkward, but not enough that you could hardly speak to each other and avoid eye contact. While waiting for your orders to arrive, you finally tell Leon what's on your mind.
"Sherry told me that you had a meeting about an outbreak that's connected to Raccoon City, and that made me worried about the possibility of you leaving to go wherever you're needed," You began, wringing your hands. "I know this is a cake walk for you, and it's nothing new because you've been doing this for years, but I can't help but worry."
Leon reaches across the table and grabs your hand, gently squeezing them. "Yes, I did have a meeting about an outbreak that is connected to Raccoon City. I'm happy to hear that you worry about me, but there's nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be okay, and if I do have to leave for the assignment, I'll be gone for at least a week max."
You nod, rubbing your thumb over his hand. Out of pure curiosity, Leon takes a peek at your watch when the screen lights up. Lo and behold, you have received a notification about your increasing heart rate. Leon looks up to see you already staring at him, almost like you got caught red-handed. Before you can pull your hand back, Leon tightens his grip on your hand.
He shakes his head. "No, no, you're not allowed to pull away after what we've established." A big smile appears on his face, making the crows' feet in the outer corners of his eyes prominent.
"And what is that?" You mutter, face feeling a bit too warm for your liking. Damn him and his effects on you! You try really hard not to smile, but seeing Leon smiling so wide makes it impossible not to.
"We've established that I'm the only person allowed to make your heart race, skip a beat, and flutter. Therefore, you shouldn't feel embarrassed about your smartwatch notifying you of your increasing heart rate."
You sigh, allowing Leon to continue holding your hand across the table. Leon is right; he's the only one who has this effect on you. No one else, but him—and he takes pride in it. If making your heart skip a beat were an achievement, Leon would wear it like a badge of honor.
"Who is this 'we' you speak of?" You ask, head tilting to the side.
Leon smiles. "Me and your smartwatch, of course." Leon lifts your hand and plants a kiss on your knuckles. "Though your smartwatch established it way before I did."
You nearly groan, covering your face with one hand. Leon laughs, shaking his head while relishing your adorable reaction. God, you're so cute! He would do anything to see that smile on your face, completely free of worries and stress. Leon reaches forward and lightly pinches your cheek, causing your face to feel even hotter.
Before you can protest, the waiter arrives with your and Leon's order. Leon is lucky that you're both in a restaurant, or else you would've—never mind. About thirty minutes later, you and Leon exit the restaurant together, hand in hand, walking towards his Porsche.
Leon opens the passenger side door for you, but instead of getting in, you stare at Leon with a faint pout on your face. Well, you're not actually pouting, but to him, it looks like you are.
Leon cups your face, tilting your head up. "You have nothing to worry about, alright? I'll let you know if anything happens," Leon murmurs, gently caressing your face and stroking your cheek with his thumb.
"Okay," You whisper. "I don't know how long I can go without seeing you."
"I feel the same way as you," Leon murmurs, leaning down and pressing his lips on your forehead. "You have no idea how much you mean to me."
Leon pulls you into his arms, wrapping his arms around your waist while your arms are draped around his shoulders. It feels so nice to be in his arms, feeling his incredibly beefy arms around your waist, his muscular pecs under your cheek as you press your face against his chest.
"Can we stay like this forever?" Your voice is muffled against his chest.
Leon's chest rumbles with laughter as he tightens his arms around you, kissing the top of your head. "I don't see why not."
Eventually, you and Leon did return to the DSO building and clock back into work, much to your dismay. The new recruit whom you're supposed to train was a no-show. According to your supervisor, the new recruit is sick and will show up tomorrow rather than today.
Which means you can continue with what you're doing as a telecommunications specialist, and that is to make sure the telecommunications systems and servers are running smoothly, and to upload data into the systems for them to be analyzed. Sounds complicated and intimidating, but you got the hang of it after seeing how it's done.
One thing about Leon is that whenever he enters a room, his eyes immediately search for you. It's intentional, yes, but it's gotten to the point where it becomes a habit. Even if you're not in the same room, Leon would scan his surroundings, looking for that familiar face of yours.
The same thing goes for you: whenever you walk into a room, you look for Leon. And if you two happen to be in the same room, but on different sides of the room, you and Leon would subconsciously look for the other. While your back is facing Leon's direction, occupied with a task or talking to another coworker about issues that appeared, Leon would be across the room, staring at the back of your head.
If Leon is occupied with talking to someone from the higher-ups, you would pretend to look around the room just to get a glimpse of his handsome face. Of course, whenever either one of you is doing that (searching for each other or staring at the other person while they're occupied), the other party would be too occupied to notice it.
Were there times when you and Leon made eye contact? Surprisingly, not as much as you think it would happen. However, after a colleague leaves the conversation, Leon would approach you. Leon is usually the first one to approach you, hardly the other way around.
In your coworker's eyes, it looks like you and Leon are discussing work-related topics—which is true. But most of the time, you're checking up on each other after the discussion.
"How're you doing today?" Leon murmurs, subtly linking his pinky around yours from underneath the table. "Has today been treating you well?"
You smile, curling your pinky around his. "Today's been busy. The servers kept crashing, and no matter what I did, they continuously crashed or bugged out."
"And you managed to get them back up and running?" Leon murmurs, studying you closely—he's actually admiring your face, but people buzzing around you and Leon don't know that.
You nod. "After almost an hour, yes. I also had to show the new recruit how to get the servers back up, among many other things."
Ah, right, the new recruit. The new recruit is a man who's almost as tall as Leon, with curly brown hair and large circular glasses that perched on his nose bridge. Leon's seen the guy around the DSO building, following you around like a lost puppy. A little too close for Leon's liking, if Leon has to be really honest. It should be Leon, not the new recruit.
"You're doing great in training the new recruit. I've been hearing great things around the building, specifically from Zhao, Mrs. Lee, and Sherry, which is no surprise to me. What's his name again?"
You blank out. Fuck, what was the guy's name again? The only thing you remember is that he likes standing way too close to you whenever you're training him. "I think his name is Brandon, but I could be misremembering."
"Too busy with work to pay attention to other people, huh?" Leon mutters, refraining from smiling.
"Oh, yes, super busy! I don't have the time to think about men," You playfully scoff, "Unless that man's name is Leon Kennedy." You add under your breath.
Leon blinks. "What was that?" He leans in closer, an amused smile appearing on his face.
"Nothing! I was just saying that I'm too busy with work to be thinking about men." You clear your throat, rubbing the back of your neck.
The banter between you and Leon is cut short by the sound of someone clearing their throat. You and Leon look in the direction of where the sound came from to see the new recruit standing there. The new recruit looks awkward, but also confident at the same time.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but Mr. Zhao wanted you to teach me how to, uh, collect communications data from surveillance monitoring equipment and have it downloaded onto various systems for the analysis team—whatever that means. "
"Oh! Alright. You can head to the office on the floor below us, and I'll meet you there." You say, slowly gathering your tablet and folder.
Leon watches the curly-haired man turn to leave, but not without glancing back at where you and Leon are sitting. The two briefly make eye contact before he walks out of the meeting room and towards the elevator, slowly. Leon tightens his pinky around yours, as if reassuring you.
"I'll walk you to your destination," Leon states, his blue eyes flickering over to you.
You don't protest—why would you? You'll do anything to be able to spend a little more time with Leon. So, you and Leon walk out of the meeting room and towards the elevator, only to see the new recruit standing at the elevator, waiting for you. What is his name again? You're horrible with names.
The new recruit—sorry, can't remember his name—points to Leon, "He's coming with us? I didn't know he was in our department."
You smile. "Leon will be taking me—us to our destination. He offered it, so who am I to deny his offer?"
You, Leon, and the curly-haired man get onto the elevator. You press the button that leads to the floor you're needed on, and watch the doors close. You stand between Leon and your new colleague, a little closer to Leon. The air is thick between the three of you, and it's awkward.
"I don't think we've formally met. My name's Leon Kennedy, DSO agent—I'm usually on the field, but for now, my presence is needed here until further notice." Leon says, turning to the new recruit.
The man awkwardly adjusts his tie. "Yeah, I've heard of you, Mr. Kennedy. I'm Patrick Fitzpatrick. I'm a recently hired telecommunications specialist like Miss. [Y/N]."
For once, the universe is on your side because after the awkward introduction, the elevator doors open to the floor where you're needed. You, Leon, and Patrick leave the elevator and head towards the office. Occasionally, Patrick would look in the corner of his eye to look at Leon, and Leon would catch him in the act, causing Patrick to quickly look away with a bright red face.
You walk into the office with Patrick and Leon following behind, briefly greeting your other colleagues who greeted you first. You unlock your tablet and begin typing on the computer before gesturing for Patrick to sit down so you can get started on training him.
"Is he going to be here with us the entire time?" Patrick asks, pointing in Leon's direction.
Leon crosses his arms over his chest, huffing. "Why do I get this feeling where my presence isn't welcomed?" Leon asks, staring at Patrick, mildly annoyed.
"Leon is welcome to watch, if he would like to join us. Even though he's not in our department, it's nice to learn something new in case of an emergency. Now, sit down so we can get started."
Patrick mutters something under his breath before sitting at the computer. You and Leon give each other a look. Instead of sitting right next to Patrick to train him, you remain standing beside him, pointing out which programs do what and how to download collected data onto various systems.
Leon stares at the monitor, following where you're pointing and glancing over at Patrick, only to see him staring at you and probably not listening to a single thing you're saying.
You tap on your tablet, eyebrows furrowing. "And that's how you do it! But don't worry, I'm sure Zhao or another senior technician will be there to guide you if and when systems are down."
"Can't you guide me instead? After all, you are the one who's training me in this," Patrick says, staring deep into your eyes.
You shake your head. "While I'm honored that you would trust me enough to want me to be there to assist you if and when systems are down, I'm not a senior technician, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Therefore, I cannot do that. I will have my own duties to take care of as a fellow telecommunications specialist."
"Oh, that's a bummer," Patrick mutters, nodding his head with a disappointed sigh. "It was worth the shot."
Leon never thought that he would have to deal with an insufferable colleague until Patrick Fitzpatrick—what a dumb name—entered the picture. It's not that Leon is jealous of a man named Patrick Fitzpatrick. Leon's not the jealous type; he wouldn't consider himself possessive. However, when your safety and security become the topic of conversation, Leon takes that very seriously.
Leon's painfully aware that Patrick isn't fond of him. For what reason? He doesn't know, but it's most likely because Patrick is intimidated by him in some kind of way, given by his body language and how he acts whenever Leon's around.
For now, Leon is watching from the sidelines, making sure that this Patrick guy isn't going to make things harder for you than it already it. But does that mean Leon's not going to step in with every chance he gets? No, he's still going to find a solution to prevent you from ever being alone with Patrick.
Everything was going according to Leon's plan, and seeing Patrick visibly seethe brings unbridled joy to Leon. Of course, Leon's not always by your side at work, but he makes sure that Patrick sees you with Leon every single day. And due to their work relationship, they need to be cordial with one another despite the tension between them.
About two weeks go by, Patrick approaches Sherry early in the morning, catching the blonde woman off guard. "Hey, Miss. Birkin, do you know where Miss. [Y/N] is? I wanted to ask her if she could help me with something."
Sherry politely smiles at Patrick, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fitzpatrick, but I don't know where she is. It's still rather early, and I'm assuming she's probably stuck in traffic right now," Sherry replies, glancing down at her watch.
Before Patrick can say anything, the elevator chimes and the doors slide open, revealing you and Leon in the middle of your conversation. You two step out of the elevator, laughing while holding onto matching coffee cups and breakfast sandwiches in your hands.
"Good morning, you two! You're quite lively on a Monday morning," Sherry says, sipping from her steaming coffee cup. "Did you two happen to arrive here at the same time?"
You shake your head, heat rushing to your cheeks as your smartwatch lights up. "Oh, Leon drove me here, actually! My car is currently at the dealership getting some things changed and realigned."
Patrick's eyes zero in on the tote bag hanging from Leon's broad shoulders. A familiar tote bag that would rest behind your monitor as you type away at your computer while muttering under your breath. Patrick's jaw ticks as he proceeds to watch you and Sherry speak.
"And you two got breakfast and coffee together?" Sherry asks as the same teasing smile appears on her face, causing you to become shy.
You turn to Leon, only to see him looking at your watch before his eyes flicker to your face with that familiar smile on his face. You peek at your watch, trying to act nonchalant after seeing the familiar notification about your increasing heart rate. It's fine! Everything is fine!
"Yes, of course, we got breakfast together." You mutter shyly. "Wouldn't want to start the day off without breakfast and coffee."
Sherry giggles as you gesture for Leon to follow you to your desk inside the office, brushing past Patrick without even acknowledging him. As you and Leon walk by, Patrick watches Leon, who's walking beside you, hover his right hand over your lower back. Leon opens the office door for you, you shyly thank Leon, and enter the office while sipping your coffee.
"Leon, thank you again for driving me here. You're a lifesaver," You say, putting your coffee down on your desk and biting into your breakfast sandwich while turning on your computer.
Leon puts your tote bag behind your monitor and pulls your tablet out, putting it next to your keyboard and mouse. "No need to thank me. I'm happy to help, and will be here if you need me."
"I'll always need you," You blurt out. Dammit, you're not supposed to say that out loud—at least not at the office. "Because you're always happy to provide assistance when someone needs it." You look around to make sure no one's listening to your and Leon's conversation. Thankfully, not many people are around and are too engrossed in their work to eavesdrop.
Leon snorts. "Nice save."
As you're settling into your desk and Leon's checking his watch, one of the higher-ups approaches your desk. You and Leon look at the woman and greet her. That sinking feeling in your chest emerges, making your heart race against your chest.
"Apologies to interrupt your conversation, but Mr. Kennedy, may you please follow me to the nearest meeting room?" The woman asks, adjusting her glasses on her nose bridge as she slowly turns to leave.
"Of course. What is this meeting about, may I ask?" Leon follows after her.
"This is a follow-up meeting regarding the outbreak that's connected to the Raccoon City incident," The woman says. "We have an update on this case and need you to…" Her voice fades as she and Leon walk to the nearest meeting room.
You type into your computer, swallowing the lump in your throat. You peek from your cubicle to see Sherry greeting Leon and the woman, the meeting room door closing behind the three of them. Your smartwatch buzzes, pulling you out of your thoughts briefly to swipe away the notification.
For the rest of the day, you don't see Leon as much as you would like. Despite wanting to know what's going on, you have work that needs your attention. Besides the amount of work that requires your attention, you also have to continue training Patrick despite Zhao informing you that you don't need to train Patrick because he knows enough to work alone. For some reason, Patrick does not want to be left alone with his tasks.
Every hour or so, he approaches your cubicle about something as small as not being able to figure out the password to his computer. So, you're constantly getting up from your computer and going to his cubicle to assist him with something so minuscule, with Leon in the back of your mind. Actually, that's a lie; he's at the forefront of your brain while you're performing tasks.
As for Leon, he's in and out of meetings, stacks of files in his hands, nose stuck in said files. The crease between his eyebrows deepens the more he reads through countless files throughout the day. When he needs to take his eyes from the manila folders to rest his eyes, he looks around the office, searching for you. Every time he manages to find you in the sea of workers, you're either typing away at your cubicle or you're being dragged away from your desk by Patrick.
"Bastard's relentless." He mutters under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"He seems to take quite a liking to her, Leon. Patrick approached me this morning to ask about her whereabouts before you two arrived." Sherry mutters.
Leon scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. "You don't say." Leon's not surprised in the slightest. Should he be?
Once lunch break rolls around, you begin to make your way towards the elevator, but Patrick blocks your way. You adjust the tote bag strap on your shoulders, shooting him a confused look.
"Do you need something, Mr. Fitzpatrick?" You ask.
Patrick adjusts his crooked glasses on his face, clearing his throat. "I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch. I still have some questions about the telecommunications systems and how to transfer the data."
"She can help you after we return from our lunch break." Leon interrupts, standing between you and Patrick. Leon looks at you, his hand on your bicep. "Are you ready to go?"
You smile, nodding as relief washes over you. "Yes, I'm ready to go." You peek from behind Leon's massive biceps. "I'll help you and answer your burning questions after lunch, Mr. Fitzpatrick."
Leon takes your tote bag from your hands before guiding you towards the elevator; his hands are, once again, hovering behind your lower back. Patrick watches the elevator door slide closed, leaving him standing in the hallway alone.
Inside the elevator, you finally relax, all of the tension in your body leaving. You lean against the wall, sighing. "You really are a lifesaver." You chuckle, looking at Leon.
Leon loops his pinky around yours, his eyes never leaving your face. "I'll always be here for you, to protect you," Leon murmurs. "If he's making you uncomfortable, I can put a word in and have him transfer departments, if you'd like."
"As much as I like the sound of that, I can't help but doubt that HR is going to see it as an issue. They'll see it as a new employee asking a colleague for assistance when trouble arises. Plus, I'm worried that if we involve HR or any higher-ups, Patrick is going to try to flip the script, if that makes sense."
Leon nods, resting his head on the cabin's wall. When the elevator arrives at ground level, you and Leon walk towards his Porsche. Leon's debating whether he should tell you the news now, over lunch, or when you two return to the DSO building after break.
You poke Leon's arm. "What's on your mind? You seem distracted."
Leon unlocks his car and puts your tote bag on the passenger seat after opening the door for you. You continue to watch him, worry etched on your face. Leon grabs your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. There's really no point in hiding or stalling it when it's inevitable.
"After I drop you off at your house, later today, I have to go to a site near Wrenwood Hotel for an investigation. I do not know how long I'll be gone, but just know that it shouldn't take longer than a week."
Your heart drops in your chest. Leon's going to a site near the Wrenwood Hotel? Later today? It's so soon—too soon for your (and Leon's) liking. It's another field mission for Leon; he's completed plenty of them without a hitch, and yet you're worrying.
"Hey, say something," Leon whispers, his right hand coming up to caress the side of your face.
You lean into his touch, not breaking eye contact. "Please be safe when you leave for your field mission to investigate. I can't bear the thought of you getting injured."
"I'll make sure to return to you unscathed, I promise. You have nothing to worry about." Leon lifts your hand to his lips and kisses your knuckles. "Let's get something to eat, yeah?"
You nod, earning a kiss on the forehead from Leon before getting into his car. Leon closes the passenger door once he makes sure you're fully seated and buckled before walking to the driver's side.
That was a few days ago, and you haven't heard a single peep from the DSO agent. As the mission coordinator, Sherry is cooped up elsewhere in the DSO building, helping Leon with his assignment, getting updates from him, and assisting with hacking systems as needed.
It's hard for you to stay focused on your work when Leon's at the forefront of your brain. Every now and then, you'll glance at your phone near your keyboard, hoping to get an update from Leon. Heck, the buzzing from your smartwatch makes you assume that you received a text from Leon—only for it to be a notification about you needing to get up and walk around.
Zhao approaches your cubicle and knocks on your desk to grab your attention. You pause what you're doing and get up from your seat after he gestures for you to follow him. As you tuck your phone into your pocket (after locking your computer), you see Zhao doing the same with Patrick from the corner of your eyes.
You and Patrick follow Zhao outside the office and to a meeting room next door. Zhao closes the door and gestures for both you and Patrick to sit down across from him.
"You may be wondering why I pulled you two to the side," Zhao begins, sitting across from you and Patrick. "As telecommunications specialists, you're tasked to go to remote areas around the world no matter the conditions."
You and Patrick nod. Your heart starts drumming against your ribcage, making it hard for you to breathe. Why are you nervous? This is part of the job—but you've never been on field missions before.
Zhao looks at you, "I know you're still rather new here, but you've exceeded my expectations. With your skill set, knowledge, and willingness to help colleagues, I am sending you and Patrick—along with myself and other senior technicians—to Raccoon City."
Huh.
"I'm sorry—what business do we have in Raccoon City?" Patrick asks, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm still new here, Mr. Zhao. I-I still have a lot of things to learn, still!"
"Indeed, you are. However, with the guidance of Miss. [Y/L/N] and the senior technicians, I'm sure you will be able to quickly learn the information everyone provides."
"When do we leave?" You interrupt, wringing your hands in your lap. "To Raccoon City, I mean." You watch your smartwatch buzz and light up. Increasing heart rate.
Zhao glances at his watch. "We leave in fifteen minutes. Gather your things and meet the other senior technicians and me in the lobby." He gestures for you and Patrick to leave the meeting room.
Patrick's the first person to leave the room, muttering under his breath while running his hands through his unruly curls. You, on the other hand, slowly trail behind him, hands itching to pull your phone out to let Leon know that you're going to be heading to Raccoon City for your assignment. But at the same time, you don't want to distract him if he's in the middle of something dire.
So, you refrain from doing so before logging out of your computer and shutting it down. You grab your tote bag and tablet, walking towards the elevator to see Patrick nervously waiting for the elevator cabin to arrive.
"Can't believe they're sending us rookies to the ruins of Raccoon City," Patrick says suddenly. "It's almost like a test to see how compatible we are… as teammates for these missions."
You shrug, trying to ignore the thudding of your heartbeat. "I just hope this won't take long." You mutter, getting into the cabin when it arrives on your floor.
"Why? Don't want to be near me?" Patrick jokes, standing beside you after pressing the ground-level button.
You scoff. "Oh, please, I see you every day at the DSO building, Mr. Fitzpatrick. We work in the same department, and I have been helping you almost every hour since you arrived here."
Patrick holds his hands up in defense. "I'm just messing with you, relax a bit."
Once the elevator chimes and the door slides open, you and Patrick exit the elevator cabin and head towards the group of senior technicians. The five of you (You, Patrick, Zhao, and two other senior technicians) get into the company van that's parked in front of the building.
"Do you know how long we'll be in Raccoon City?" Patrick asks.
Javier Gomez, one of the senior technicians, starts the van and looks at Patrick from the rear view mirror. "Could take a few days, maybe even weeks—heck, maybe a few months. It all depends on how things go."
You stare out the window, watching buildings pass by as the company van drives out of the city and to the ruins of Raccoon City. You pull your phone out, tempted to message Leon, but don't want to be a distraction. You're not entirely sure how confidential this mission is, so you refrain from texting anyone about it.
-
Upon arriving at the ruins of Raccoon City, Javier parks the van in front of an abandoned building. Everyone files out of the car and cautiously enters the rundown building where computers and communications systems are set up.
"There are about three communication systems set up around Raccoon City. We will split up into groups, and each group will go to their assigned locations." Zhao says, pulling out a map of the locations that are set up around the ruins.
"A group? There's an uneven number of us—three senior technicians, and two telecommunications specialists who are still relatively new to the field. Are you sure that's a smart decision, Mr. Zhao?" Patrick asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
"When setting up this team, we had a discussion beforehand. We're fairly confident in the decision we've made with this group." Javier interjects, crossing his arms over his chest. "There is nothing you need to worry about. Yes, there are zombies roaming around the ruins, but I doubt they will get to the areas that have our communication systems."
You can't help but doubt it. These zombies can and will carry weapons and charge at any living being. Plus, it's not like the telecommunications systems are out in the open, right? At least, the one in the rundown building isn't outside.
"We'll be assigning groups right now. Once the group has been established, Zhao will be driving you to your destinations. If your group happens to be here, then your group remains in this area—please, do not leave the area in which you have been assigned to until further notice—while Zhao takes the others to their designated location."
"Gomez and Smith, you're in group one. So, you will stay here while I take the next group to their destinations." Zhao says, tapping away at his tablet.
You, Patrick, and Zhao watch Javier and Elise walk to the nearby communication systems, starting their assignment. Your heart thuds against your chest as a sense of dread washes over you. You already know what's going to happen; it's painfully predictable.
"Fitzpatrick and [Y/L/N], you will be at the third location. Remember, you are not allowed to leave the area until further notice. You're not allowed to abandon your partner, no matter the circumstances."
"You're going to be at the second location alone? With no assistance or backup in case of an emergency?" You ask, tightening your grip on the straps of your bag. "I know you're fully capable of handling these things yourself, but it doesn't seem like a good idea."
"I appreciate the concern, but there's nothing to worry about. I paired you with Fitzpatrick because he informed me that he wanted to work closely with you because he has learned a lot from the training you've provided." Zhao smiles, nodding to Patrick.
You purse your lips, nodding. "I'm honored to hear such feedback from a colleague." You lie through your teeth. Alone? With Patrick? For hours? Days? Weeks?
"Alright! Now, please make your way to the company van, and I'll drive you two to your locations." Zhao gestures for you and Patrick to exit the rundown building.
You sit in the backseat of the van while Patrick sits in the passenger side of the car. The drive to the location is filled with mostly silence on your end, but lively chatter from both Patrick and Zhao. By the time you reach your destination, it's mid-afternoon. Zhao gives you and Patrick a short tour of the site, where certain technologies are located, before handing you the walkie-talkies.
"Remember not to abandon your partner and stray from the site. If anything happens, please use your walkie-talkies to reach out to me, or Gomez and Smith." Zhao begins making his way to the van before stopping abruptly. "Oh, and before I forget, you will need this in case of an emergency."
Zhao walks to the trunk of the van, pops the trunk open, revealing an array of guns and ammo. He pulls out two large revolvers and pistols and hands them to you and Patrick, earning an eyebrow raise from Patrick.
"Doesn't she need a license to possess a gun?" Patrick asks.
Zhao raises an eyebrow at Patrick. "I would worry about the communication system over whether she has a gun license or not. And for your information, Miss. [Y/L/N] does have a gun license. We made sure of it before sending her out for this assignment."
You make sure to pick the largest gun out of the two, putting it in your holster after loading the revolver. Zhao bids you and Patrick good luck and farewell before going to his destination, who knows where exactly.
You and Patrick retreat into the rundown building. After what Patrick said, you have nothing to say to him. You pull your tablet out and begin entering your password and pulling up the data that you've received from Gomez and Smith. Patrick stands next to you, his arms over his chest as he eyes the information that appears on the screen.
"Sorry if I offended you back there. No offense, but you don't look like the type to know how to handle a gun."
"He says as he follows up with another insult." You mutter under your breath. "We need to get this started. We have no time to waste."
You connect your tablet to the computer, checking the communication systems and making sure to download them and transfer them to the nearest tower. Most of your (and Patrick's) duty is to have whatever is in the system downloaded and sent to the next group, then that group will relay that information to (presumably) Zhao.
"How do you know how to do all of this stuff? Zhao said you're relatively new as well." Patrick comments, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"With a job like this, you're required to grasp information quickly. I'm trained on many things by many people—there's no room for mistakes, especially when things are at stake."
Patrick leans against the desk, causing it to shift backward against the wall, startling you. Patrick quickly apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. You exhale through your nose, trying to remain calm while the data is being transferred to the nearest communication tower.
The silence between you and Patrick is overwhelming and awkward. If anything, you would much rather be paired up with someone else, but of course, Patrick had to find a way to get paired up with you. But it's fine because once everything is transferred and completed, you should be able to return to the DSO building, right?
Just as the loading bar reaches 95% completed, the system completely shuts down, and the screen goes black. You bury your face in your hands, holding in the urge to scream at the top of your lungs in frustration. Of course, you can't do that because you need to be professional and know how to work under pressure and in unfortunate circumstances, and because you're in Raccoon City, the angry and frustrated scream can and will attract possible nearby zombies.
"What do we do now?" Patrick asks.
You walk to the entrance of the rundown building with your tablet in hand, grabbing the doorknob.
Patrick raises his eyebrows. "Uh, where are you going? You know, Zhao said not to leave our assigned sites until further notice."
"Well, if you want to be stuck here longer and cause delays for the others, you can do that. I don't want to waste any more time. The sooner this gets fixed, the better."
You open the door and take three steps back, hands shielding your eyes from the sun beaming down on you. On the side of the building is a semi-stable yellow ladder that leads to the rooftop where the communication tower sits. You start climbing to the top, making sure not to drop your tablet. You look down to see Patrick staring up at you while talking to someone on the walkie-talkie.
You successfully get to the top of the building and walk towards the communication tower. While you're looking around to find the source of the problem, Patrick reaches the top, adjusting the walkie-talkie hanging from his pocket.
"I talked to Zhao, Gomez, and Smith to let them know about the issue. They need the system back up and running within an hour."
Your eyes zero in on the loose cables, and you kneel to tidy them up and plug them back into the outlet. "Well, I found and fixed the issue. We should head back down and proceed where we left off." You brush past Patrick and start climbing down the ladder, tightly gripping the ladder.
When you reach the ground, you wipe your sweaty palms against your pants. You watch Patrick clumsily climb down the ladder. Once he reaches the bottom, the ladder becomes loose and falls to the ground with a loud thud.
"You have got to be kidding me." Is what you wanted to say, but before you can utter a single word, loud growls and gurgling interrupt you. You slowly turn around to see a horde of zombies stumbling their way towards you and Patrick.
"Holy shit!" Patrick screams, running back into the building without hesitation.
You follow close behind Patrick, but he slams the door in your face before you can enter the building. You reach for the doorknob to open the door, but the door's locked, and all you can do is jiggle the handles and slam your body against the door to get it to budge.
"Patrick! Let me in!"
You don't hear anything from behind the door. For all you know, he's probably barricading the door to prevent anyone from entering. That means you have no way to hide from the horde of zombies—you can't get to the rooftop because the ladder broke.
You reach for your revolver and start shooting every zombie one by one. You don't have much ammo on you, so you're basically fucked if your aim is horrendous—it sort of is, you haven't been to a shooting range in ages. You're able to shoot them in the head, some of their heads exploding, and a geyser of blood gushes from their neck.
The revolver soon becomes useless after running out of ammo—there's more ammo inside the building, but Patrick locked you out of it! You search around the building, only to find a baseball bat that's conveniently lying around near the building. You quickly run towards the baseball bat, pick it up, and start swinging the minute the zombies charge towards you.
You hear a sickening crack when the bat makes contact with one of the zombie's head, knocking it back. You continue swinging like a madwoman, making sure to dodge as much as you possibly can without getting injured or cornering yourself.
One zombie in particular lunges at you and manages to grab hold of your shoulders. He growls in your face, gnashing his teeth at you, trying to get a bite of you while digging his rotted fingers into your shoulders. You try to shove him off, but he won't budge.
You squeeze your eyes shut, screaming while repeatedly kicking and swinging the bat at the zombie's head, hitting yourself in the process. The sound of gunfire rings, and one by one, the zombies around you drop to the ground. The head of the zombie—that's latching onto you—explodes, spraying blood in your face. You scream in shock, watching the body collapse to the side.
You wipe your face with shaky hands and look up to see Leon standing there. You drop the baseball bat, not taking your eyes off of Leon. Leon surveys his surroundings before making his way to you, putting his gun in the holster.
"Leon…" You whisper.
Now standing in front of you, Leon cups your face, searching you from head to toe for any injuries while wiping away blood from your face. "Are you alright? You're not injured, are you?"
You shake your head. "No, no, I'm okay, thanks to you." You whisper.
Leon doesn't take his eyes away from your face; the longer he stares at you, the more you feel heat rushing to your face. You purse your lips and look down, shielding your face with your hand. Leon smiles, holding back a laugh as one hand slides down to your waist.
"I'm just making sure you're not injured." Leon murmurs, grabbing your chin and tilting your head up. "Can't help but be captivated by you."
You try to hold back a smile, taking a step forward to wrap your arms around his waist. "I haven't heard from you in days, and now that I see you, the first thing you do—after saving me—is to make my heart flutter?" You mutter, reaching up to pinch his cheek lightly.
"Of course! I was dying to see you after being gone for days." Leon smiles.
You stare at him, eyebrows furrowing. "I'll let it pass this time." You bury your face into his chest, sighing with happiness and contentment. "I wanted to text you, but I've been refraining."
"Ah, so that's your reason. I've been checking my phone throughout the day to see if I received any messages from you." Leon confesses, tightening his grip around your waist. "Had me worried."
You pucker your lips before replying, "I didn't want to be a distraction and be the reason why you get hurt."
Leon kisses the top of your head. "You could never be a distraction."
You close your eyes and feel the tension finally leaving your body. You tighten your grip on Leon's tight-fitted shirt, not wanting this moment to end. But the more time ticks by, the more you realize you're wasting time, and everyone is waiting for data to be transferred to other communication towers.
"Fuck." You grumble.
Leon peeks down at you. "What's wrong?"
You point at the locked door behind you, slowly approaching the door after reluctantly pulling away from Leon's arms. "I completely forgot about my job as a telecommunications specialist. But of course, I can't do that because I'm locked out."
"What do you mean you're locked out?" Leon raises his eyebrows at you.
You press your lips into a thin line. "Patrick slammed the door in my face and locked it after the zombies emerged from the shadows. I could temporarily hide on the rooftop, but he broke the ladder—which caused commotion and attracted the zombies to our assigned base."
Leon runs his hands through his hair, shaking his head. Of fucking course they paired you up with someone incompetent like Patrick Fitzpatrick. Dumb ass name, too. Leon approaches the door and jiggles the handle, but it doesn't budge. Leon presses his ears against the door to listen, but hears nothing—not even a pathetic whimper. Leon reaches for his hatchet and gestures for you to step back.
You watch Leon jam his hatchet into the slit of the door and see his biceps flex as he attempts to force the door open. You bite your bottom lip; his grunts and biceps are certainly doing something to you. Leon nudges the door with his shoulders, popping it right open.
Leon enters the rundown building, eyes scanning the inside to see Patrick huddling in the corner, his back facing Leon's direction. Leon rolls his eyes before turning to you. You take that as a sign to walk in, but before you do, you stand on the tip of your toes and kiss his cheek as a thank you.
"Thanks for locking me out and making me fend for myself, Fitzpatrick. If it weren't for Leon, I would've been zombie meal the moment I ran out of ammo for my revolver." You cross your arms over your chest.
The sound of your voice startles Patrick, making him dart up from his spot and turn to face you and Leon. His expression drops when he and Leon lock eyes. Leon's full-on glaring at Patrick, not even hiding it anymore.
Patrick points at Leon. "What's he doing here?"
Leon ignores Patrick. "You deliberately locked her out of this building, forcing her to fend for herself against a horde of zombies. If I didn't make it on time, she would've been dead."
"What?! No! I-I didn't do it on purpose! My fight or flight was triggered, a-and I ran for my life!"
"You ran for your life and put her life in danger. That's what you did."
You walk to the computer and plug in your tablet. You rub your temples, sighing when you realize you need to redo everything before the system unexpectedly shuts down. While you're occupied with having to redo the work yourself, Leon picks up the walkie-talkie from the ground and starts speaking into it.
"Mr. Kennedy? What a surprise! If you don't mind my asking, why are you at Fitzpatrick and [Y/L/N]'s assigned location?"
Leon clears his throat. "Zhao, is it possible for you to take Fitzpatrick to your base? He's not providing the assistance he should be, and he endangered his partner's life by shutting and locking her out of the building while a horde of zombies were charging at them."
The line on Zhao's end goes silent for a moment. "Yes, we can do that, but we cannot let her be alone; she needs a partner."
"It's alright, I'll keep her company until everything is completed. I've learned a few things from her, so I can provide some assistance if needed. I can certainly provide protection."
Your head shoots up. "Wait, but aren't you still on a mission, Leon?"
"Alright! I will be there in about ten minutes to get Fitzpatrick."
Leon places the walkie-talkie on the desk near you, standing close while keeping an eye on Patrick. The entire time, no one says a thing. The silence is filled with the sounds of keyboards clacking as you're rapidly typing away and transferring information to the system.
"I really am sorry for inflicting harm upon you. I didn't mean it, please believe me." Patrick pleads.
Leon steps between you and Patrick, nostrils flaring. "You've done enough damage, Fitzpatrick."
The entire time, while everyone is waiting for Zhao to arrive, Leon makes sure to stand behind you to shield you from Patrick's view. No matter how much Patrick tries to talk to you or even get a glimpse of you, Leon's broad frame will obstruct the view. Leon's facing to the side just to be able to get a good view of both you and Patrick from the corner of his eyes, making sure Patrick's not distracting you.
Soon enough, everyone hears the company van pull up and park outside the rundown building. The door opens, and Zhao enters your assigned base, now staring at the three of you, and can sense the tension in the room.
"We'll debrief once we return to the DSO building. Mr. Fitzpatrick, please come with me." Zhao instructs.
Patrick reluctantly walks to Zhao, unsure of what to expect once both of them enter the company van. Leon briefly thanks Zhao before closing the door behind Zhao and Patrick. Leon sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before walking to where you're at.
He kneels beside you, rubbing your back. "How're you feeling? Still shaken up about earlier?"
"I'm okay, Leon. I'm just happy to see you, that's all," You smile at Leon, lacing your fingers with his. "And I'm incredibly thankful that you showed up on time before a zombie mauled my face."
"I'm never letting anything harm you." Leon kisses the side of your head, resting his chin on your shoulder as he stares at the screen in front of you two.
You purse your lips, debating if you should do it or not. Your smartwatch lights up as you gather the courage to kiss Leon's forehead and rest your cheek on top of his head after. You didn't see it, but you certainly feel Leon try to peek at you despite your cheek resting on top of his. If only this moment could last forever; a world with just you and Leon is something you can only dream of.
About a week goes by, and you're back at the DSO building at your cubicle, typing up your report regarding your first field mission in the ruins of Raccoon City. Before your departure from the ruins, you and Leon had to part ways. He still had things to deal with and needed to save an FBI agent named Grace Ashcroft. He didn't give you the entire detail, but a summary of what he was up to.
As much as you didn't want to part ways with Leon, you reluctantly got into the DSO van and returned to the building while Leon watched the van get further and further until the van disappeared from his sight. After returning to the DSO building, you made sure to let Leon know that you made it back safely and bid him good luck on his mission.
His response? A thumbs up with a cute smiley face. Granted, he was busy saving the future of humanity and killing zombies, so you shouldn't be surprised by his response. In fact, it brought a smile to your face.
The sound of distant arguing pulls you from your daydream. You turn around to see Patrick and Zhao arguing—well, Patrick's the one who's arguing while Zhao's checking the time on his watch. You turn back to your monitor and make sure to save your file.
"Hey! I heard what happened in Raccoon City," Sherry says, leaning against your desk. "What Patrick did back there was a jerk move. I'm so glad that you're safe and you're able to fend for yourself long enough before Leon arrived."
"I'm glad as well. That was the scariest moment of my life, and I thought I was done for." You tap your fingers on your lap. "How's Leon? Is he okay?"
Sherry smiles. "He's fine, the mission was a success, and he should be back today."
You sigh in relief. "That's a relief."
Sherry smiles, squeezes your shoulder, and bids you farewell as she makes her way back to her desk. By the time lunch break rolls around, you lock your computer, tuck your tablet in your tote bag, and make your way to the elevator. Again, you haven't heard anything from Leon, and it's making you a bit nervous. Yes, he's fine and should be back, but when exactly?
The elevator chimes, and you find yourself in the lobby of the DSO building. You leave the elevator and head towards the parking lot where your car is waiting. You wave to your colleagues as you're exiting, hands digging in your pocket as you try to take out your phone after you feel the vibration. You stop at the entrance of the building, struggling to pull your phone out.
"Need a hand?"
You look up to see Leon standing there, his hands propping on his hips. You quickly look around to make sure there's no one around before dropping your things to the ground. You run towards Leon, lunging towards him. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and your legs around his waist.
"You're back! You have no idea how much I missed you." You say, burying your face into his chest.
Leon tightens his grip around your waist, a wide smile spreading across his face. "I miss you, too, darling. Mission's a success, and I won't be returning to field missions until further notice." Leon walks to where you drop your tote bag and picks it up with one hand while holding you with the other.
"You didn't text me after your mission wrapped up!" Your voice is muffled against his chest. "I was checking my phone constantly."
"To be fair, I did text you today while you were heading out," Leon says, walking to his Porsche with you clinging to him. He opens the passenger door and puts your tote bag in front of the seat.
Leon pins you against his car, leans down to help you unlatch yourself from him. You fix your clothes and look up at Leon, cupping his face in your hands while his hands rest on your waist. Leon's stubble underneath your palms feels both ticklish and soothing.
You're so mesmerized by Leon. He's so handsome and breathtaking. Leon leans down, pressing his forehead against yours. Your heart skips a beat. He wraps his entire arms around your waist, pulling you to his chest until there's no space between you two. Leon nuzzles the tip of his nose against yours, earning a small giggle from you.
Leon caresses your face in his hands before leaning down, pressing his lips against yours. Your hands slide to his shoulders, pulling him in closer as he deepens the kiss. You pull away from the kiss to get some air, but Leon pulls you back in.
"I can't get enough of you," Leon mumbles into the kiss. Leon briefly breaks the kiss, his lips trailing down to your jaw and neck, sending shivers down your spine. Leon kisses your lips once more before peppering your face with kisses. "Let's get something to eat, yeah?"
You nod, breathless from the kiss. Leon kisses the crown of your head before letting you get into the passenger seat. Leon closes the door and walks around the Porsche to get to the driver's side. You buckle your seatbelt as he gets into the car and closes the door.
The Porsche purrs to life as he buckles his seatbelt. Leon reaches over and grabs your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours before pulling out of the parking lot of the DSO building. You snuggle against Leon's arms, thinking about the kiss from earlier.
Your smartwatch buzzes, grabbing Leon's attention, but he doesn't look away from the road. Leon doesn't need to look to see that you received a notification about your increasing heart rate. Instead, he squeezes your hand, smiling widely with pride. You have the same effect on him; the only difference is that he's not wearing a smartwatch that announces his business to the world.
Note: I may or may not have conflicting feelings with this fic. I loved it, but at the same time, it made me want to rip my hair out cause I keep adding on to it 😭 God, Leon Kennedy, the man that you are. I have so many ideas I want to write for him, and I can't wait to write more! I can't wait for the mini game and DLC :') I completed my second gameplay of RE9 and unlocked infinite ammo and durability for the hatchet >:3 Anyway, to all my new and returning readers, keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!
Read more of my works on my Grand Masterlist, which contains every masterlist I have created! | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories there, too, but who knows? You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like, as a way to show support! ^^
Join the Discord to get future fic updates and connect with other readers, maybe?:) Raccoon City Sanctuary
So I somehow managed to avoid AtLA when it came out (I don't know how, this should have been MY JAM), but since I saw the uh.... leaked movie edits of Zuko.... I took it upon myself to educate myself. I have not regretted it!
I have no idea what to do with this, but wouldn't it be neat if Aang started doing all of his bending using the wrong style of bending? Just because he can?
Airbending? No, actually, it's humid in here. I used the water in the air :) nope, just manipulated the temperature with firebending. Common mistake! They look very similar!
Oh no, that wasn't earthbending. That was airbending. I'm basically just compressing the air! Sokka came up with that!
Avatar Aang comes in to give a bending demonstration, and immediately 60-year-old masters start gnawing the furniture because what do you MEAN that was waterbending!!! You made flames!!!? We've been studying this all our lives why would you come in and do this to us
Aang is just fucking around with using air to waterbend, Sokka discovers liquid oxygen and promptly develops chemical rocket engines and uses them to go visit his first girlfriend, the moon.
For context: this came out in 2011 in Australia. Same-sex marriage would not be legalized until December 2017.
It was only legalized in 8 US states (the 8th only a few months before), and wouldn’t be legalized nation-wide until 2015.
It was only legal in TEN COUNTRIES in 2011. We wouldn’t hit 20 countries until 2017. (Australia was 23rd)
As of today (April 14, 2026), I believe only 38 countries have fully legalized same-sex marriage. Out of somewhere around 200 countries in the world. That’s only ~19% of countries.
the x reader "consumers" on tumblr lowk are so entitled, i said consumer bcs these people do nothing to support the writers but complain about FREE fanfics that other people write for FUN and for the LOVE of the game. THEY DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING.
i'm so tired of you people who can only pressure these writers, make memes, and ridicule them for writing something that was not fit to your standards or liking.
you don't even write or contribute anything to the community, don't even support or atleast reblogs to the writers you actually like.
stop filling the tags with your consistent complaints about the fanfics that obviously wasn't meant for you (not to your liking) and start learn how to write.
The Department of Education worked with the far-right Family Research Council to officially designate March 12th as Detrans Awareness Day last year. But what actually leads people to detransition? It's not regret, but social stigma, incited by the very figures who claim to protect detransitioners. I want to hear their stories describing how the current moral panic influenced their decisions.