Piers: the first time I met my little brother in law, was when I was 16 and staying over for the night. He was 6 and a itti bitti thing. Hid behind stuff the entire time and I was worried that he was scared of my goth ass. Well, the next morning I woke up to my formerly ripped jeans being 'fixed' with wooloo shaped patches and obstagoon munching on treats. This kid that Barley reached my waist calculated all of my moves over an evening, bribed my beloved killing machine, all to fix up my clothing.
Leon: marnie bit me the first time we met. I love her.
This amazing fic is The Things We Build by BinaBina on ao3! A new scene was added to chapter 3 and i absolutely loved it so much, how could i pass on such a perfect opportunity for fanart? It's been my comfort fic for a year now!
Summary: Half lost on his walk, Leon finds a frustrated Piers attempting to weave flowers together.
Ships: Leon x Piers
Content Warnings: N/A
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What a wonderful day for a walk. The sun shone over the yellow-green of the land. Not a single cloud floated across the blue sky. Flowers swayed in a gentle breeze. Rookidie chattered in the trees as bug pokemon skittered along the ground.
Simply a wonderful day outside of...Well, Leon didn't know exactly where he was, but he was at least sixty percent sure he was outside of Hulsbury. Or maybe Tuffield? He was on one side of the Northern Wild Areas.
Probably.
He stretched his arms up. His jacket sleeves rolled down to his elbows. The worn blue jacket had been his grandfather's and was still a little too big for him, even now that he was an adult, but it was comfortable and warm enough for spring days. He kept it with him when he wanted to go incognito since it wasn’t as distinguishable as his sponsor cape.
He could use more days off like this, more calming walks in nature with nothing but the plants, wild pokemon, and--
"Oh, c'mon!"
Leon jumped, nearly knocking his hat from his head.
Who was that?
He titled his head, listening. Someone swore up a storm not too far away. Half in an attempt to help, and half to seek confirmation of his location, Leon followed the colorful language over a small hill to its source.
Amongst a field of wildflowers and tall grass, someone kicked at the dirt. Grass, flowers, and dirt sprayed into the air.
"And you’re no help, you piece of--!" They spun around, throwing something.
Leon ducked just in time to avoid coming face to screen with a cellphone. The phone landed with a dull thud in the grass behind his feet.
Regret welled up in Leon's stomach. Maybe he should have just called the Pokemon League and asked them for help getting home. This person seemed too upset, and Leon interrupting their rage would just make them angrier, won't it?
"Champion Leon?"
Leon jumped at the sound of his name. Taking his gaze off the phone on the ground, he looked towards the phone's owner.
The gym leader of Spikemuth winced.
"Sorry 'bout that, mate." Piers raised his hands, palms facing forward as if he expected Leon to throw something back at him.
Leon shook his head, both to shake off his shock as well as to placate Piers. He picked up the phone.
"It's nothing to worry about," He reassured, wiping the screen on his jacket sleeve. On the screen, some sort of brightly colored webpage stared back at Leon. In a curling font, the header read 'Just A Unovan Country Gal' with 'recipes, DIYs, and patterns for good old girls' written underneath.
Deciding not to ask about the site, he pressed the power button as he passed the phone back, darkening the screen. Piers put the phone in his pocket. He hadn’t noticed Leon staring at the screen or didn’t acknowledge he knew Leon saw it, at least.
"You're lost, aren’t you?" Piers didn't hesitate to ask.
"What? Of course not. I know where I am," Leon lied, unsure why he did. Everyone in the Pokemon League knew he was terrible with directions. Every gym leader had to come to find and escort him to their gym at some point or another, including Piers.
"If you need help gettin' home, I can take you,'' Piers offered. "I'm done with...I'm done for today."
"Done with what?" Leon couldn't help but venture. The Unovain website flashed in his mind’s eye.
He couldn't figure why Piers of all people would be in a wildflower field in the middle of the day so far from Spikemuth. Was he picking flowers for a special someone? Searching for a certain pokemon? Training his team? Did it have to do with the website he had open on his phone?
Piers wrinkled his nose. "None of your business."
It was Leon's turn to hold up his hands. "Sorry." He took a few steps past Piers. "Didn't mean to pry. I'll leave you to it if you can point me toward Hulsbury."
Piers eyed him up and down, slowly, calculatingly. A shiver ran up Leon's back. Why did his stomach twist into knots? It wasn't like Piers planned on stabbing him.
With a heavy sigh, Piers pinched Leon's jacket between his fingers, stopping him from wandering off.
"Flower crown," he muttered, refusing to look at him.
"What?"
"Flower. Crown. I was trying to make a flower crown." Piers took his hand away to run it through his thick bangs, pushing them back away from his face. A tinge of pink blush dusted his face.
Leon bit the inside of his cheek to keep a laugh in. Flower crowns? Piers was the least likely person to be making flower crowns. Leon tried to imagine the dark-type gym leader with a ring of wild daisies and dandelions around his head but only succeeded in a snort of amusement at the idea.
Piers glowered and raised his hand. All of his nails had a sheen of shiny black paint, except for the middle one lifted at Leon, which was a matte white.
"If I left you out here, you would die of exposure before you found your way back."
Leon covered his mouth before another snort could make its way out.
"Sorry, sorry, but..." He took a breath, "why do you need a flower crown? It doesn't much match your..." he gestured to Piers’ punk, monochromatic outfit, “aesthetic.”
"It isn't for me," Piers snapped. "It's for Marnie, my sister. She wants one, not me."
Leon wasn't sure he'd ever actually met Piers' sister. He rarely went to Spikemuth, and when he did, he just stopped by the gym to deliver papers to Piers and get out. Had he ever even seen Piers’ sister before? She was about Hop's age, he knew that, but he couldn't remember if she was a little older or a little younger.
"Oh, of course. That makes sense," Leon said. "That's nice of you to make her one."
Piers searched his face for any sign of insincerity. Leon flashed him his champion smile. Whether that helped or not, he didn’t know.
Piers snorted. More to himself than Leon, he muttered, "It'd be nicer if I knew how to make one. Stupid website wasn’t any help..."
At this, Leon finally took a gander around. Most of the flowers had been plucked in the immediate area. They either sat in a pile or as parts of what Leon could only assume were attempts at flower crowns.
He knelt and picked a crown up, holding it carefully. Yellow daisies made up the crown. Each daisy had a slit cut in the stem with the next daisy slipped through until the end where the last stem was tied to the first. It was crude and the spacing of the flowers uneven, but not the worst flower crown Leon had ever seen.
Before Leon could look closer, Piers snatched the crown out of his hands. Pale yellow petals fell to the ground.
He glared, the tips of his ears burning red. “Making flower crowns isn’t a life skill they teach you in school, you know.”
Leon tilted his head to the side then asked, "Do you want help?"
"Help?" Piers tossed the crown into the tall grass. "You know how to make them?"
Leon nodded. "I grew up in Postwick." He fell back to his bottom. "Everyone knew how to make a proper crown." His lips twitched up into a smile. "I remember chasing down a wooloo to stop it from eating the crown I'd just given it."
He took a few daisies from the pile next to him. It took mere seconds for his fingers to remember the motion of wrapping stem over stem.
"Silly thing was someone's prized wooloo, and the farmer spoiled it rotten," Leon continued, occasionally looking down at his hands, "so when it saw me coming towards it with a handful of flowers, it thought it was getting a treat."
He laughed at the memory. He couldn’t have been more than seven or eight at the time. His mother still brought it up when she wanted to embarrass him in front of guests.
“I remember looking out the window and seeing my little boy, nearly in tears, shouting at a fat old wooloo.” She’d laugh. “Oh, he chased that thing for an hour trying to catch it!”
As Leon continued rambling, Piers watched his hands weave together daisies, dandelions, and corncockle. He sat back with his hands resting across his knees. He puffed his cheeks a little as he watched, breathing only through his nose. Whether he noticed he was doing it or not, Leon wasn't sure and didn't ask.
"And that's how I broke my arm for the first time," Leon finished, holding up the crown. He placed it on Piers' head where it sat unevenly on top of his ponytails. Leon beamed at Piers, proud of his work as if they were children playing in the fields of Postwick and not young adults.
Piers brushed his fingertips against the soft petals. He took a dandelion and a wild clover flower from one of the piles. With his face set in determination, he started to copy what he'd seen Leon doing. He wove together six flowers before tossing his hands in the air.
"What am I doing wrong?" He demanded.
Leon scooted until he sat next to Piers then took the crown to examine it. He nodded to himself. Without asking, Leon took Piers' hands in his own.
"You're doing it backward. See here?" Leon made Piers' thumb press against the first wrap in the crown. Instead of locking around the flower, the stem went behind it. A simple mistake for a first-time crown weaver to make.
Piers pulled his hands back.
"I think I got it." He took a meadows cranesbill and corncockle and began the wrap and lock method Leon showed him. He held up his attempt for inspection.
"That's it. Just keep doing that until it's long enough."
"This is going to take a while," Piers said, adding a daisy to the chain.
Leon shrugged sympathetically. "It might," he settled into a more comfortable, half-reclined position, "but it'll be fine. I'm here to help."
Piers paused and looked over at Leon, eyeing him once again. This time, however, Leon didn't feel a chill run up his back. Instead, heat crept up his cheeks at Piers' half smile towards.
Leon's pride wanted him to hold Piers' gaze as he would with any other gym leader, but he broke away to look at a patch of foxgloves in the distance.
"Thanks." Piers turned back to his project.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Piers held out a flower. Its stem was too short.
"D’you know what this is?" He asked, dropping the flower in Leon's lap.
Leon picked it up and spun it in between his fingers. Of course, he knew what it was, but he shrugged and pretended to think it over.
"Primrose, I think." He said. "My grandma kept some fancier varieties in the house when I was growing up."
The memory of cleaning up broken pots formed a smile on his face. Sonia and he landed themselves on his grandmother’s naughty list for killing her primroses, even if it was an accident.
Piers hummed. "I thought that's what it was. And this?"
Leon moved next to Piers. "That's a ragged robin. This is a cornflower. That's chicory." He continued pointing out the names of the flowers he knew, silently thanking his mother and grandparents for explaining all the wildflowers to him when he was a kid.
Of course, he didn't know them as well as Milo. He couldn't tell what medical uses dandelions had or how to make coffee from chicory, but Piers seemed impressed nonetheless with his botanical knowledge.
Leon picked up a flower from a failed crown attempt. He held it up, about to explain what it was, but Piers spoke first.
“That’s a wild violet.”
Leon slowly nodded. He was a little disappointed he didn’t get to explain it but shoved the feeling away. Of course, Piers would know such a common flower.
Piers smiled down at his work. “Marnie made me fill a whole basket with them once. She learnt you can cook with them.”
“Did you--cook with it, I mean?”
“Unfortunately.” Piers snorted. “I’ve had pot brownies that taste less like grass.” He paused, then added nonchalantly, “Before I was part of the league, of course.”
, Leon snorted a laugh to himself. That was a lie, he knew, but instead of remarking on it, he said, “Did you use the flowers or leaves?”
“Marnie baked them, not me. I just turned on the oven. I think she just put the whole plant in there, roots and all.” He laughed. “I’m going to have to tease her about that when I get home. Thanks for reminding me about that.”
Finally, Piers held up his crown. It was far from perfect, some of the flowers lost their petals and long stems stuck out at odd angles, but Piers held it out as if it were a royal crown. His expression wasn’t unlike how Leon’s mum said he looked when he finished making a crown for the spoiled wooloo.
"Wow, it looks great," Leon complimented.
Piers snorted with a smile. "For a first attempt, I guess." He looked at his flower crown, then at Leon, then back, before reaching up. He took hold of the bill of Leon's baseball cap. With a flick of the wrist, he tossed it off then replaced it with the crown.
He smiled at him. “You look like a prince, champ.” He teased before bending down and picking up the hat.
“I could say the same.”
The two shared a laugh and grins. Their fingers touched as Piers pushed the hat into Leon's hands. Leon wasn’t sure the touch was unintentional.
"It's getting late."
Leon looked up at the saturated orange-red sky.
"If you get me to Hulsbury, I can get a taxi home."
Piers chuckled and shook his head. "You really are lost, aren’t you? We're not too far outside the Spikemuth Tunnel, mate."
Leon dropped his hat. He held his head in his hands. The heat of embarrassment crept up his face. He had wandered farther off the beaten path than he thought. How did he even get so far away from where he started like this?
With a sympathetic smile, Piers put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"How about I take you back to my place, as a thank you for teaching me this." He gestured to the crown on his head. "I'll cook you up a little somethin' then you can hitch a ride on a flying taxi back home."
Leon's heart skipped a beat. He swallowed the embarrassment down and smiled.
"That sounds great."
----
AN: I stopped writing this halfway through to go outside, find some flowers, and learn how to do this because the way I described Piers doing it is how I've always done it. XP It is a completely valid way to make flower chains don't get me wrong, but it doesn't look nearly as fancy.
Anyway, maybe a little too sugary sweet, but I wanted to write some short fluff and doggone it I did!
For @hellishgoat / @lovelyleons. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!🎉🎉🎉
________________________________________________
Piers sat in Leon’s hoodie on the couch, staring at the television as it replayed the news from months ago. The chaos from Edonia, and then Tall Oaks and China. The scenes played out on the screen, but they didn’t show much. Not like his memories did. He remembered everything crystal clear. His memory wasn’t cut and edited. He could still hear the screams of the citizens and his teammates in both Edonia and China. He could still smell gunpowder, the smell of fire burning down buildings all around him and the smell of rotting flesh. He could still see the monsters…
...and at one point...he would have believed himself to be one...until now.
He had been moved from the Asian Branch of the BSAA to America so he could be treated with the C-Virus Vaccine. It had been the “trial vaccines” so he had to take them in small doses and go through treatments and therapy to get back in shape. Physically and mentally.
Leon Kennedy had been nice enough to let him stay with him.
Piers absentmindedly flexed his right hand, watching as it mutated back and forth from a normal arm to the mutated mass of bones and exposed muscle tissue limb he had in the underwater oilfield. While he did so, electricity coursed through his arm, the veins and arteries glowing blue, white and light purple underneath of tanned flesh. When he managed to turn his arm back to “normal”, the skin was split in various places and the unsplit areas were marred with the fractal patterns of what looked like lightning.
He no longer had manic episodes and felt more in control of the virus instead of the other way around. The treatments at the DSO were a big help, but he still had a long way to go. Though, he did still have panic attacks and moments of PTSD, but luckily Leon was there to comfort him and vice versa. He was on leave due to his recovery, but once he was fully cured, and fitted with a prosthetic for when they inevitably had to cut off his arm, he had a job at the BSAA waiting for him.
“Hey, you’re getting pretty good at that.” Leon observed as Piers changed his hand to and fro, the sniper freezing mid transformation.
The agent dropped his keys in the bowl on the table by the front door, setting down his jacket as he kicked the door closed behind him. Piers turned his arm back to normal before changing the channel to some reality show. He then muted it, turning his full attention to Leon, glancing at the clock while he was at it.
“You’re home early.”
Leon smiled, nodding in confirmation, “I am...because I think we should celebrate.”
Piers raised the brow above his good eye, “Celebrate...what?”
“You’ve been here and recovering for five months…” Leon began, not kicking off his boots, “And it’s our one month anniversary of being together. Officially.”
Piers gave a small “Oh!” of realization, smiling a small smile up at the agent as Leon sauntered over. He leaned over the back of the couch, leaning down and kissing Piers. Leon only pulled away to nuzzle his nose against Piers’s with a chuckle. Piers chuckled in return, scooting over so Leon could hop over the back of the couch to sit next to him.
“So, how do you want to celebrate?” Piers asked curiously, “Pizza? Movie Night?”
“Actually…” Leon began, “I was thinking...there’s a fair downtown…”
Piers’s smile faltered, “Oh...we’re going out?”
Leon held up his hands, “If you’re up to it. We don’t have to...just thought maybe...you wanted to get out of the apartment and go somewhere that wasn’t the lab at HQ...or the late night walks at almost two in the morning.”
Piers sat back in his seat, taking a deep breath as he contemplated it. He looked to Leon, who waited with baited breath. Although the thought of going out during the day, around people, still made him anxious. Why? Because, well, he only left the apartment when he absolutely needed to and he wasn’t one hundred percent normal yet. Or when he needed some air, but that was usually at night.
On the other hand, he was going to have to leave the apartment eventually. He couldn’t hide in here forever. He was going to have to go outside during the day for more than just appointments. Leon had offered to take him out before but Piers thought he hadn’t been ready.
Maybe he would make the leap this time.
Piers smiled and nodded, “Alright. I’m game.”
Leon beamed, hopping off of the couch and standing before him, holding his hands out in offering. Piers chuckled and shook his head at his boyfriend’s silliness, accepting the offered hands before being taken to the bedroom to get “dolled up” as Leon put it.
______________________________________________
“WINNER!” The vendor hollered as the stuffed cow reached the top before the others. “Nice shooting, Tex!” Leon congratulated as Piers’s section lit up, the sniper pulling away from his water gun with a grin.
The Vendor picked up the stuffed lion Piers pointed to, handing it to the man. Piers accepted it before handing it off to Leon, who looked surprised. They had played a number of games and ate some fair food, but Piers and Leon didn’t accept the prizes, giving them away to some of the other attendees.
“For me?” He asked over the sounds all around them.
Piers nodded, “Of course. A Lion for a Lion.”
Leon chuckled, “I keep forgetting that’s where my name originated from. But, thanks, Handsome.”
“Don’t mention it.” Piers said, wrapping his good arm around Leon’s waist as they wandered over to another game, “Where to next?”
They were wandering around the fairgrounds, Piers having to stop a couple of times to regain his bearings and Leon talking him through it so he didn’t become overwhelmed by the sights, smells and sounds. Truth be told, it was also the first time in a while Leon had been out and about to somewhere that wasn’t work, the lab in HQ and the occasional trip to the grocery store or for a take-out trip. He didn’t frequent the bar as much as he wanted to for fear of making Piers think that he was the reason for that trip. Nor did he want to abandon Piers.
So, after a while, he began talking with Piers and attending therapy as well. He still had a while to go himself in that department, but with Piers at his side...he felt...lighter. Like he wasn’t carrying the weight of the world.
“How about a change of pace?” Leon asked, pointing to the Ferris Wheel, “Maybe a nice relaxing Ferris Wheel ride?”
Piers looked to the Ferris Wheel with a contemplative look, “Is it safe?”
Leon chuckled, “It should be.”
Piers chuckled as well as they went over to wait in line. They handed the operator their tickets before climbing into the car. Piers let Leon in first, Leon sitting the giant stuffed lion next to him so that he was between Piers and the stuffed animal. They waited for the ride to start, the two glancing at one another before quickly looking away, smiling like idiots and blushing pink. The ride began to move, their cart moving upward and then backward, going around in a slow but smoothing circle while music played on the speaker in their cart.
Piers stretched out his arms, slyly sitting the right one behind Leon’s head. At least that was the intention...until the veins started glowing underneath the skin. He quickly pulled away, taking a quick breath to calm himself before shoving his hands in his pocket.
“So...does this count as a first date?” Piers asked with a clear of his throat, “Since I never officially asked you out and we never went anywhere?”
“No.” Leon replied with a smile, “But I think it’s still as special as all the Take-Out and Movie nights. And we did go on walks together.”
“True.” Piers said, peeking down at his hand, relieved that it was no longer glowing, watching the skin meld back together, “But this one must be more memorable and special?”
The cart jolted to a stop, spooking them both. Piers cursed as he momentarily lost his concentration, grunting as his hand almost transformed. Leon had noticed this time, gently taking the younger man’s hand in his own. Piers sighed another sigh of relief, regaining his composure as his hand stopped transforming once more, looking from it to Leon.
“Every day with you is memorable and special.” Leon admitted with a smile, “I know it sounds cheesy…”
Piers shook his head as he smiled, “No...it’s not cheesy at all...because I feel the same way. You keep me sane and I feel safe with you…”
Leon listened as Piers professed his feelings to the agent. Piers explained that since Leon had brought him over to America from the Asian Branch of the BSAA, he felt like he could trust Leon always. When he suffered nightmares and episodes of PTSD, Leon was there to help talk him down, even when Piers almost lost control and attacked him. He was supportive of him through recovery and his treatments, attending his appointments as moral support. Leon was the only one who didn’t treat him oddly. He was patient and kind.
“You’ve done more for me than I can ever repay you.” Piers admitted, getting a bit teary-eyed, “I owe you my life.”
Leon was a bit teary-eyed himself, smiling, “You don’t owe me anything.” Leon informed him, “Because you keep me sane too...and I love you.”
Piers watched him before leaning in, Leon meeting him halfway for a sweet and chaste kiss. They only parted when the ride began to move again, but even then, Leon nuzzled his forehead and nose against Piers’s, leaning his head against Piers’s.
They handed the operator two more tickets, deciding to ride once more.
“I love you too, Leon.” Piers replied.
“I know.” Leon said with a teasing smile, chuckling when the younger nudged him playfully.
(Also a gift piece for @lovelyleons, who requested Leon and Piers cuddles. I hope you like it! I always appreciate your feedback and I always love talking to you! 💕💕💕)
Okay, so hiding a C-Virus infected BSAA Lieutenant in his apartment wasn’t the smartest idea Leon had ever had...but it was better than just taking Piers somewhere to get experimented on. Leon wasn’t sure how the BSAA did things, but Leon did know how the DSO worked and he wasn’t about to subject Piers to the kind of “treatments” and experimentations both Sherry and Manuela had been subjected to.
Though, keeping Piers here in the state that he was probably wasn’t too much better...but to be fair, it had been Piers who had sought him out and had asked for sanctuary in his home. For some reason, the sniper didn’t want the others to find him, but Leon just assumed that was because the younger was scared of them seeing him like this. The BSAA probably would be more shocked to see that Piers was capable of semi-sound thought and reasoning rather than shocked by his overall mutation.
Although Piers’s arm was no longer mutated, it was still “not normal” looking. It kind of reminded Leon of Simmons’s flesh when he and Helena had fought him. Piers’s arm looked like a normal arm at first, but there were cracks running through the flesh, tanned skin discolored in certain areas. Underneath the skin, what looked to be “trapped lightning” coursed through the younger’s veins, occasionally glowing here and there. For the most part, Piers seemed to be able to control the mutated arm at will.
Piers’s face still bore multiple eyes, but Piers bandaged his head up to keep them covered, despite Leon’s insistence that he didn’t need to do that. Piers also wore one of Leon’s hoodies, but he constantly kept the hood up to conceal his features. Once again, Leon insisted that he didn’t need to do that, that his home was a “No Judgement Zone” and Leon wasn’t at all shocked or afraid of his appearance.
Piers wasn’t having it, saying that he did so to make himself feel better, so Leon didn’t push the matter. He did however prevent Piers’s moping, deciding that tonight would be a “Movie Night” to hopefully uplift Piers’s spirits.
“Alrighty,” Leon began as he set the bowl of popcorn down onto the coffee table in front of them before plopping down on the couch next to Piers, who looked up at him, “I wasn’t sure what you liked, and I’m not too crazy about current horror movies, but I did manage to dig up some vintage 1930’s horror movies on Netflix.”
“O...kay…” Piers said, keeping his arms perched on top of his knees, the hood once again obstructing Leon’s view of the younger’s face.
“We don’t have to watch them.” Leon said with a shrug, “I just figured it would be a change from the normal dismal news broadcasts and crappy television programming. No offense.”
“None taken.” Piers replied, eyes focused on the television screen, “So, what brought this on?”
“Well...I figured you could use a change for once from your usually scheduled moping.” Leon explained, “And the old timey stuff is less graphic than the newer stuff. I figured the cheesiness might help with your mood.”
Piers only glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, humming response before turning his full attention to the screen, watching as Leon used the remote to select the first movie, “How about...Frankenstein?” Leon suggested.
Piers shrugged, “Whatever.”
Leon made a clicking sound with his tongue before scrolling through, “Okay...what about Dracula?”
“Whatever.”
“Okay…” Leon said, feeling a bit awkward, wondering if Piers wanted to watch something else...or be left alone entirely, “Did you want to pick the movie? Or I could leave you alone…”
“No!” Piers protested, startling Leon, “Stay…”
Well...that certainly surprised him, “Stay?”
Piers nodded, “It’s...it’s nice to have someone around that doesn’t look at me strangely...sorry, I just…”
Leon gently laid a hand on the younger’s shoulder, offering a small smile as Piers looked up at him, “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. You’re stressed about what’s going on, right?” Piers gave a small nod, “And something’s bothering you.”
Piers looked at him, really looked at him as Leon met his eye, “Yeah...you could say that…”
Leon gave him a look as the sniper took a deep breath, explaining to Leon that he was thankful for Leon’s kindness and understanding. It was why he had reached out to the agent to begin with, because he had heard about it all from Captain Redfield and his sister Claire. But unlike the two, Leon was also secretive and did everything on the down-low, so Piers wouldn’t have to worry about the man “exposing him”.
“Not that Chris or Claire would expose me.” Piers said in his defense, “I just...you’re a bit more laxed…”
Leon nodded in understanding, “I understand...but I’m also good at reading people...and I know that something else is bothering you.”
Piers’s lips pressed into a fine line as he turned his eyes away from Leon’s, a blush dusting his cheeks, “Well…kind of.”
“You can tell me.” Leon said as he gently nudged Piers’s shoulder with his own, “Or don’t...I’ll be here regardless.”
Piers looked as though he was contemplating it, wanting to say something that was on his mind but Leon assumed he didn’t know what he wanted to say. Leon gave another gentle nudge and a reassuring smile. Piers caught it and smiled back, nudging the agent in return as Leon started up Frankenstein.
They ended up watching the whole Universal Monster movie collection through the night, Leon laying on the couch with Piers on his chest, both snoozing away peacefully.
“You know,” Leon said to Hunnigan on the communicator, “If there is something down there, I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion.”
“Which is why Agent Avesta should be on her way with that wetsuit and underwater weaponry.” Hunnigan reassured, “I promise, you won’t be going in blind, but we couldn’t risk sending you in via boat or helicopter. It might alert the authorities there or the BSAA themselves.”
“And that’s bad...how?” Leon asked, “This is their man down there, after all.”
“Because you’re not doing this as an assignment...this is a favor to a friend. You could actually get in trouble for entering a “crime scene”. That, and we didn’t want to risk anyone in Simmons’ circle finding out about you roaming into their business.”
Leon sighed and canted his head to the side with a shrug. She had a point there. He was not working under any type of direct orders, he was there because Sherry had begged him to be. Because he was looking for further evidence against the now late Derek C. Simmons and looking for a lost comrade of Chris’s.
The last one being a special request, of course.
He looked around, trying to look as nonchalant and inconspicuous as possible, wondering just where Agent Avesta was. Where was Iman? She was usually the quickest when it came to these things.
A sound further down the beach drew Leon’s attention to it, eyes narrowing as he strained to see what it was. It looked like...a soldier in BSAA armor but with a deformed arm, had washed up on to the shore. Said arm glowed slightly, the person sputtering and desperately trying to breath. Drawing his gun, Leon slowly and cautiously approached. He scanned over the form, not really recognizing the face due to mutation. But, the person did look familiar.
Holy shit… “Piers Nivans?” Leon called, keeping his gun lowered.
The being froze, slowly looking up at the agent. Piers grunts as he tries to get up on to his knees and then his feet, his mutated arm sparking with electricity. Leon goes to help him up, but Piers lets out a sound of protest, pushing the elder away with his good arm. Leon stumbled backward, but he was persistent.
“Let me help you.” Leon said, gently grasping Piers’s hurt arm.
“N-No!” Piers grunted, “I’m a...biohazard. I’m...dangerous...can’t control myself…”
“Doubt it.” Leon replied with a half-hearted chuckle, “You need help.”
Leon felt the younger’s heat through his soaked clothes, body feeling hot and cold at the same time. The hand on the younger’s back felt like it was vibrating, feeling something thrumming underneath of his fingertips. It was, for lack of a better word, electric.
