What could he really say? It had been hard to find anything to say given to what she was currently witnessing, hard evidence of Leon’s downward spiral that began after that goddamn nightmare mission back in DC, his whole squad had been wiped out, all thanks to a mole who had revealed the location of his team. Leon being the lone survivor wasn’t new to him, but this time, every single one in his platoon killed in a rainfall of bullets, they were all slaughtered so quickly, and the mission had only just started, and with his team gone, there was no bomb expert, so the bomb they had tried to stop, ended up going off. Leon wasn’t blamed for the missions result as no one at HQ had expected a rat. The event had shaken his will to fight, the core of his burning passion to continue the fight had died out leaving him a miserable and doubtful man. He HATED the fact Claire was getting a direct look on his pain, his suffering, his W E A K N E S S.
Leon never liked to show others his pain, he was always so adamant on keeping this aura of unshakable confidence. But, each day that passed, that old flame would continue to diminish bit by little bit. There was no point in keeping up a pointless battle, a war that truly didn’t seem to have an end. Some people, Leon would be able to handle seeing him like this, but of all people, it had to be Claire. He didn’t like her seeing him so, tired, hopeless, and nearly broken. He was vulnerable, a part of him he hoped no one would ever witness.
His rough expression would slowly begin to drop as he hears the worry in her tone when addressing him. Finally, he gave into Claire’s concern, he couldn’t really do anything else but that right now, there was no excuse to cover up what she was seeing with her own two eyes. His eyes cast down to the ground, closing, his expression softens with a sigh.
Blue eyes finally meet as he throws up the white flag, finally discarding his tough exterior, the disappointment and shame in himself evident in his eyes.
[{ ☣ }] - “…What if I told you, I was trying to die?” He answers in a somber tone.
A brief silence after his statement.
Defeat in his posture, he sits down on the couch, pushing over some empty Whiskey bottles.
[{ ☣ }] - “Congratulations…you’re the first person to see me at rock bottom..”
It was hard to look at her again, he hated her seeing the sadness and pain in his eyes. Leon had always been there for Claire, he did his best to stay strong. But recently, staying strong had just been far too difficult to handle.
“What...” Was all that she could get out of her throat. Claire who had clearly been lost for words felt a tightness in her throat which formed a small albeit firm knot. Her eyebrows were furrowed downwards, not out of anger but out of genuine shock. Of course, she was aware of the events that took place prior to his downward spiral... Even if it wasn’t in full detail. Due to the amount of alcohol that would lay in his apartment as well as the specific brands, it appeared that he was gradually turning to the stronger stuff. Drinks that could turn even make a person with the highest tolerance drunk.
Flashbacks of Steve coursed through her mind in quick sequences up until Alexia infected him with the virus, turning him essentially into her plaything. Claire failed to prevent that from happening - Steve chose to sacrifice himself that day, but she would be lying if she didn’t blame herself for what happened. Claire failed to save the fellow Rockfort prisoner who came to be her partner on the island, and now... Her most consistent partner against the mess that is Umbrella and the companies that followed it was near the edge of potentially dying.
The knot in her throat loosened as the pain in her chest grew. Somehow and in some way, she could understand Leon’s grief. This was probably the first time she fully saw him broken down like this. Claire saw some cracks in his almost always confident demeanor, but this is nothing compared to that. The crease in her eyebrows softened as she tried to swallow any urge to break down as well. There was no way in hell she’d be helping him if she broke down now. Soft sounds of footsteps followed her as she came closer before sitting down beside him on the couch.
His dirty blond locks obstructed her view of his expression, but based on his defeated tone she was able to conclude that he finally allowed the cement walls around him to drop. If not fully, then for the most part at the very least. “Why... Why didn’t you contact me? You know I would have come to you in a heart beat if you did...” The question she asked was almost rhetorical. Because at the same time, she knew that he wasn’t the type to show his emotions so easily. Confidence or stoic expressions were what she usually saw on him after the Raccoon City incident.
One of her hands found its way to his, cupping it as gently as possible while the side of her form leaned against him. These actions were done almost absent mindedly. A part of her wanted to plead with him to not continue down this path. She wanted more than anything to help Leon through this. “I’m glad... Really glad you didn’t lie to me. Not that you would’ve been able to anyway, just... I’d rather see you at rock bottom than 6 feet under the ground.” Her voice managed to softly crack, just a little.
“I... I’m sorry. For coming here without contacting you first, but maybe it’s for the best that I arrived here without prior notice.”
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