Chapter Text
The icy wind blew straight against Chris’ face so harshly that he already regretted coming here at all. It wasn’t that he hated winter, or snow, but there was something so unforgiving about the little pinpricks of icy snow dotting his face, the way he could barely breathe against the gusts of wind, that he instinctively wanted to get the hell out. Instead he just raised his hand and tugged on the collar of his coat, trying to lift it up to gain more shelter from the cold. Maybe he really should’ve taken the thick red scarf that had been offered to him, instead of just brushing it aside with a nonchalant I can handle it.
Thankfully he didn’t have to wait for long before he spotted a figure clad in thick winter coat quickly approaching him through the snowfall, waving a hand in greeting. “Chris Redfield?” the person asked as soon as he was close enough and didn’t have to shout over the wind. “You’re expected for a briefing inside, over there.” The man pointed towards the nearby building that looked like nothing more than a barn, but whatever. Didn’t really matter, they weren’t here to settle down, they’d be on the move in the matter of hours.
Dutifully Chris followed the man and they jogged to the small building. The door creaked as it opened, but Chris barely noticed as he was more focused on the blissful lack of wind in his face. He didn’t even realize that the man didn’t come inside with him, only held the door for him and took off. Instead he was focused on how he was freezing his ears off already. He’d need a thicker hat. Or to just still get the hell out of here, that was definitely an option. He hadn’t even heard more about the mission than that he’d been personally requested for it, and he wasn’t really in the mood for guessing games, so if this thing didn’t become more clear soon he’d –
That’s about as far as his thought process got before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Hey, Redfield. You actually came.”
Chris spun around, surprised. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but …definitely not this. It had been a while since he’d last met Leon S. Kennedy, but the man hadn’t really changed at all. Maybe the dark circles under his eyes were a little deeper than before, the tired lines on his face a little more prominent, but that was about it. He was leaning back in a chair, feet propped up on a table, arms folded over his chest, and despite all of the tiredness he still managed to look cocky as he smirked at Chris.
And that was all it took, really. One smirk, and all of the walls Chris had carefully built around his heart came crumbling down, the walls that he had thought would last forever. He’d be damned though if he’d let that show. As casually as he could – and he did trust his poker face, if nothing else – he arched an eyebrow questioningly and forced his stance to relax. “No one told me you’d be here,” he answered, not really caring if it sounded impolite. “Smart move.”
Leon laughed, albeit joylessly. “So obviously not mine, point taken.” He swung his feet off the table and onto the ground, straightening in his chair so he could pull a pile of papers closer. “Now that you’re here, though. Do you want to know about the job,” he paused, looking straight up at Chris, not even blinking as he maintained eye-contact, “or would you rather turn on your heels and run?”
Honestly? The second option sounded a lot more tempting at the moment. He wasn’t entirely certain if he could trust himself around the other man, and he could really do without the heartache and the inevitable frustration it’d bring. Yet… even though they hadn’t exactly ended things and remained best friends, the break up had been amicable enough. For all intents and purposes they were, well, at least colleagues if not friends. It wasn’t really Leon’s fault that Chris couldn’t get a grip on his feelings.
“Fine,” Chris huffed and grabbed a chair, pulling it closer to himself only to flip it around so he could sit and lean his arms on the backrest. “What have you got?” He took a cursory look at the papers on the table. There was a map with red and green markings on it, things scribbled in Leon’s unintelligible handwriting in the margins, three thick piles of documents and a bunch of photographs. Nothing that immediately told him what they were there for, though.
“This is a research center,” Leon started, pointing at the part of map he had circled three times in green. “Remember when we were told that they destroyed all of that new strain of the virus? None kept even for ‘scientific purposes’ and all that jazz?” He only waited until Chris nodded, and then went on. “Well they lied. There’s still some samples in there. Some people pretty high up the food chain decided to have some stored for their own personal gain.”
“Okay,” Chris drawled slowly, eyes trained on the map although he wasn’t really looking at it, but processing what he’d just been told. He would’ve liked to be more surprised about this, but in all honesty, he was mainly just resigned to the fact that the cycle would never end. There always was someone who wanted to control such power, wanted to have such a massive weapon for themselves. The world wouldn’t run out of those assholes. “Why am I here?”
Leon paused for a second, as if to consider how much he should share right now, before he even knew if the other man was on board with the plan or not. Eventually he spoke, slowly, measuring every word. “Because it’s a two-man job. I can’t do this on my own.”
“Yeah I get that,” Chris huffed, “but what I don’t get is why I am here. You have an entire agency full of trained people you could’ve gotten here with way less trouble. I don’t know what strings you even pulled to have me taken off the strike team, but I –”
“I think Brody is in on it,” Leon cut in, not allowing Chris to finish his sentence.
Chris looked up at Leon, who wouldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Allen Brody? As in your boss?” Now that was unexpected. The man – while not exactly Leon’s boss in the strictest sense of the word, one of the highest government officials – was highly decorated, highly appreciated, and definitely not the first suspect that would’ve come to mind. Then again, the best ones were always the best liars, too.
“None other,” Leon replied. “I’m not the only one who thinks so, but I can’t name any names now, not before we figure out who’s really in on it and who not. At the moment everyone I work with is a suspect. Hell, they probably have someone doing a very thorough background check on everything I’ve done these past years, too. They’re just not telling me about it.”
Chris nodded. Made sense. It wasn’t really easy to work with the situation where everyone could be a suspect. Kind of sucked. It was elementary for surviving this job that you could trust the people you were with, the people fighting beside you, and if that was compromised…
“You see? You’re the only person I can trust with this.” Leon spoke slowly, earnestly, and for once he let the cocky façade drop. He looked up, straight into Chris’ eyes, and the pure sincerity in his eyes would’ve alone been enough to make Chris do pretty much anything.
In his mind, Chris cursed his own way too soft heart. Damn those pretty blue eyes, too. How could he turn away when faced with such trust, something he knew wasn’t easily given. He wasn’t exactly certain how he even had managed to qualify for such high esteem in the eyes of friggin’ Leon S. Kennedy. All he knew was that he didn’t want to let him down, not in this lifetime. Damn the consequences.
“Okay. I’m in. What’s the plan?”
*
The plan sucked. Chris had told Leon as much, but he’d only received a flippant middle-finger and a then come up with a better one in return, as they headed out back into the cold again. The only part of the plan that they both agreed on was that they’d need to get a lot closer to the facility in question so that they could scope it out and set out for their next move.
Chris spent a good ten minutes cursing the wind and trying to make himself as small as possible – an impossible feat in itself – so that he’d be less of a target to it, while Leon went over to talk to the man that Chris had met on arrival. He didn’t know who the guy even was, and he made a mental note to ask about him from Leon later.
Finally Leon waved at him to gain his attention and beckoned him to get closer. There, in the shed covered with big tarps, were two snowmobiles that were apparently going to be their transportation. “Brett already packed your stuff,” Leon said and nodded towards the large saddlebags attached on the snowmobiles. Then he smirked, holding out the keys for Chris to take. “You think you can handle these?” he asked, although they both knew that even if the answer was no Chris would never admit to it.
“Just try to keep up,” Chris answered with a slight headshake and an eye-roll. He didn’t bother to say anything else, the damn wind still howling around them so that it was way too much effort to both talk and to manage to hear over it. Quickly he grabbed the helmet that’d been resting on the seat of the snowmobile, and busied himself getting acquainted with the vehicle. He wasn’t worried about his abilities with the snowmobile, but it had been quite a while since he’d last ridden one so he tried to keep his focus on the task at hand as they finally sped away from the small group of buildings and into the snowy landscape.
Being more familiar with where they were going Leon took the lead, which was just fine with Chris. Even though he was freezing by the end of it, the long drive did wonders for his nerves. He didn’t need to think of anything but driving, and finally got his mind off the memories that had been bombarding him from the second that he’d stepped in through that door and set eyes on Leon. The route they took was just challenging enough to keep him on alert, and boy did he need that to clear his head.
It still felt like a small eternity before they finally steered towards a small cabin that seemed to be smack in the middle of nowhere and served no obvious purpose. Who the hell would want to live in here? There was a small shelter that was just enough to fit their snowmobiles, side by side, and they didn’t really talk while stashing them away and attaching the tarp to keep the snow from covering the vehicles. Only when they stepped inside, after trying to shake as much snow off their shoes as possible, Chris broke the silence. “Who the hell would live here?”
Leon chuckled lowly. “No one in the winter, I’m told. Apparently it’s used as some kind of a hunting cabin in the season, but no one should need it for months now.” He dropped the snowmobile saddlebags on the large table, abandoning them there in favor of heading towards the fireplace. There was some firewood in the crate next to it, and he set out to get the fire going.
“No wonder,” Chris huffed, “it’s cold as balls in here.” He busied himself looking into any and all of the cupboards in the kitchen area of the cabin, to see what they had. There was canned food, a bag of rice and some spaghetti, a couple of big canisters of water, and pretty much nothing else. Not that he had even expected this much, he would’ve figured out everything would freeze in here during the winter.
As if he’d read his thoughts, Leon spoke up from his perch in front of the fireplace. “Brett brought the stuff here this morning, it should all be fine.” He had obviously noticed Chris rummaging through the place. It wasn’t like they could get very far from one another there. The cabin had only one room, which was divided into three so that one corner was taken up by the sizeable bed, another held the kitchen area with a hotplate and the cupboards, and the rest of the space was taken up by the sturdy wooden table and the coat rack by the door.
“Brett?” Chris asked, finally stopping his snooping to turn to look at the other man properly. “He a colleague?”
Leon gave a one-shouldered shrug without looking up, his face turned away so that it was half-hidden behind his hair. “No, not really.” No other explanation seemed to be forthcoming. Instead Leon tried another match to get the fire going, unsuccessful like the first two times. It looked almost like his hands were shaking.
Curious, and always kind of bad at keeping his mouth shut when he wanted to know something, Chris pressed on. “A friend?”
For a moment there was no response, and instead Leon just scratched yet another match, holding it up to the pile he’d built in the fireplace. It only fizzled and died. That somehow seemed to be the last straw. “What’s it to you?” Leon snapped, all but throwing the matchbox down in frustration.
“Nothing,” Chris replied easily, already crossing the distance between them in three long steps. “I just figured he could’ve as well helped you with this,” he went on, reaching for the matches. As soon as he’d gotten to the fireplace the other man had all but leaped backwards to get more space between them, obviously not willing to crouch there side by side. “Since I’m obviously your favorite person in the world.”
With a huff Leon sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you seriously suggesting I bring a civilian on a mission rather than a trained professional?” he asked, although it was obvious he wasn’t really expecting an answer. Absently he kept rubbing his palms together, trying to warm up his fingers. It was still almost as cold inside the cabin as it was outside, and neither of them made a single move to get out of their coats. Only the hats and the thicker gloves had been discarded to the side.
It didn’t take more than the first try for Chris to get the fire going, and he had to admit that there was some little part of him that felt a little smug for having succeeded so fast in what the other man had tried and failed. Even if it was such a tiny little thing. At least now they’d have some warmth, and maybe the place would be livable in a few hours. Electing to ignore their previous conversation, he straightened to his full height and stretched his back a little. “So what’s the timeline?”
“It should take us something like an hour on foot to get there,” Leon started, “so we should get going as soon as it gets dark. Assuming that you can learn the blueprints by then?” He arched an eyebrow as he looked at Chris, almost challengingly, and it certainly wasn’t appreciated. Usually Chris would’ve taken something like this in his stride and shot a comeback without taking offense. Now though? His pride was immediately wounded and he couldn’t help letting Leon get under his skin.
Cursing inwardly for letting something like this get to him, Chris scowled. “Didn’t you just call me a professional?” he asked through gritted teeth, hoping he wasn’t too obviously angry. It was probably a lost cause already, but he rolled his shoulders a little and forced himself to relax at least minutely. He kicked off his shoes and dropped down into the large – and only – armchair that was next to the table. From there he could reach over to the table to grab the already familiar folder.
“I did,” Leon admitted, and there was a bit of a grin dancing in the corner of his mouth. “But admit it, I’m the brains and you’re the brawn.” It was something he might’ve said already almost a decade earlier when they’d first met, and then it would’ve been easy for Chris to take it as the joke it was. But now somehow everything the other man said just got on his nerves, grated on him and made him want to break something.
He just scoffed, though, trying not to let it blow up into a full argument. “As if.” He threw his legs over the armrest of the chair, sitting sideways as he opened the folder to look at it properly now, to commit the things into his memory as far as he’d need to. He continuously felt eyes on him, though, and it messed with his concentration so that he noticed after a moment that he’d read the same line at least seven times already. “Now what?” he asked, not too kindly, as he frowned up at the other man.
Leon seemed a little startled, then, and immediately averted his eyes to pretend like he’d been watching the fireplace as if the flames were endlessly fascinating. “Nothing,” he replied shortly, a bit too quickly, with feigned nonchalance.
The blueprints were detailed, and it was quite impressive how thoroughly the routes of the night guards had been mapped out, with timestamps down to the second. “This is damn good work,” Chris had to voice his compliments, as it really was top notch. “Where did you even get this?”
An answer didn’t follow immediately, and when Chris looked up Leon was just looking at him, kind of apologetically. “I…” Leon drawled, hesitating. “You’re not going to like the answer.”
Immediately Chris knew who they were talking about. Ada. Fucking Ada. He could feel his expression turning stormy, his mouth pressing into a stern line. “And you’re going to trust her? Have you lost your damn mind?” he barked. He did realize he was being possessive and jealous even though he had no right to. But he couldn’t deny his feelings, and trust definitely wasn’t on the table when it came to that woman.
The apologetic look on Leon’s face morphed into annoyance, and his voice was clearly strained as he spoke up. “Look, Chris… Whether you like her or not, the information I’ve gotten from her has always been good. I trust her. And it’s my call.”
It wasn’t that Chris didn’t trust Leon’s judgment. Overall he did. Yet he had seen, firsthand, the kind of hold she’d had on him, and he wasn’t sure that it was entirely gone. “Seriously? She could tell you that the moon is made of cheese and you’d swallow that shit down without a second thought!”
“Oh, fuck you,” Leon spat out, already on his feet and obviously upset. “I’m not an idiot. Give me some credit.”
“Maybe you should try to earn it next time.” Already when speaking Chris knew he was being unfair but it wasn’t like he could take it back. Not when the words already hung there in the air between them, heavy as lead.
Leon opened his mouth to say something, cheeks flushed with anger and brows knitted into a frown. Instead of speaking up though he let his mouth fall shut again, leaving the cabin in a few long steps, all but slamming the door behind himself.
It left Chris alone, stewing in his own annoyance. He tried not to let it affect himself too much, biting his lower lip hard to regain focus. Maybe he had been a little unfair… He knew that there had been something between Leon and Ada, back before Chris had even met either one of them. What it had been, that he wasn’t exactly certain of. It had been the one topic that they had never discussed, ever. If he’d as much as mentioned her name Leon had clammed up and closed off, clearly indicating that the topic was off limits.
Even back then, it had annoyed Chris, and now he noticed it was even worse. It certainly didn’t help that he had still been gutted after Leon had left him, when he’d heard through Claire that there were rumors of Leon working with none other than Ada. And when they were working together… who knew what else there might’ve been. Claire definitely wouldn’t have even told him if she’d known about the break up – or the preceding relationship, for that matter – at all.
It was stupid, anyway. It wasn’t like he had any right to interfere. They’d had their chance, and it had ended the way it had. With Leon walking away from him, obviously tired of Chris and looking for new adventures. Too bad that Chris had already managed to sink in too deep.
With a deep sigh, Chris finally forced the thoughts into the back of his mind, focusing back on the files he hadn’t managed to memorize in the slightest. He’d need to get his shit together so they could get this done and he could get the hell out of here as fast as he possibly could.
*
Chris had managed to go through the essentials from the folder several times, memorizing enough of them in the process if one asked him, by the time Leon got back. He didn’t say a single word to Chris but instead dropped an armful of firewood next to the fireplace, before crouching down to feed the fire. It was already beginning to be warmer inside, enough that he discarded his winter coat and gloves on the edge of the bed.
“It’s snowing pretty hard,” he commented after a while, still watching the flames rather than his companion. “I don’t know if we can make it tonight.” He didn’t exactly sound happy about it, but he was pragmatic and knew better. They weren’t in immediate danger, nor were they on a tight enough deadline that it would’ve made sense to go out there and get lost in a snow storm.
“Fine by me,” Chris replied in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone, truly not attempting to pick a fight. “Should we try to take the 4 am window, if the snow eases up, or wait until tomorrow evening in any case?” He held the other man’s gaze, barely even blinking, as if he had a point to prove.
Leon turned to him and looked surprised, even a little bit impressed, that Chris already seemed to have learned the materials so well. He pursed his lips thoughtfully, before giving a small shrug. “The 11 pm one is better, if you ask me. Three whole minutes more, those can be lifesaving seconds.”
“Sure.” He glanced outside. It had gotten dark, but at the same time the snowstorm didn’t ease up. That seemed to be their cue to turn in for the night. They could go through the plan with fresh brains the next day, as they waited for the better opportunity to act.
He was already about to suggest they try to catch some sleep when Leon suddenly broke the silence that had fallen between them. “How’s Claire?” It wasn’t exactly a surprise he brought up Chris’ sister, after all the two of them shared quite an ordeal and had been really close friends after that.
“Fine,” Chris answered shortly, trying to play for time as he thought back on what he’d last spoken with her about. “She got promoted back in April, and moved to a bigger apartment. And she has a new boyfriend, I think. Something so new I haven’t even met him yet.” He wasn’t exactly sure how much Leon knew, as he had no idea how often he and Claire stayed in contact. Apparently it wasn’t so often, though, as all of the information seemed to be new to Leon.
Slowly Leon nodded, leaning back against the kitchen countertops. “I’m glad she’s good,” he said softly, even with a small smile caressing his lips. It made him look softer, younger, almost vulnerable, and that made something flare up inside of Chris. Something he squashed down with determination, though.
“I would’ve thought you’d know,” Chris said, voicing his earlier confusion. “Aren’t you like her best friend or something? How often do you talk to her?” If he didn’t know about Claire’s new promotion, it meant that the two hadn’t spoken in …half a year. That seemed like a long time for friends. Not that Chris would know how regular friendships were, really, he worked with practically all of his friends.
There wasn’t an immediate answer, as if Leon considered if he could just ignore the questions altogether and hope they’d just go away. He knew Chris better than that, though, and chose to answer at least something before a reply would be coaxed out of him. “It’s been a while. It’s better for her.”
That wasn’t what Chris had expected, and it probably showed clear as day on his face. “Better for her?” he asked, incredulous. “What the hell, Leon? You–”
“Am not exactly good friendship material,” Leon finished the sentence for the other man. He didn’t even sound like he was making a big deal out of it, it was more that he simply thought he was stating facts. And that made all of it all the more heartbreaking. “I’d just fuck it up so it’s probably better to just slowly let it die.”
Chris grit his teeth, eyes closed for a moment as he tried to regain self-control instead of snapping something he’d regret later. “Sometimes I swear you intentionally try to make me mad,” he huffed, voice strained as he tried to keep it level. He knew that he was a part of the problem, allowing his buttons to be pushed so easily, but still it felt like Leon was just …searching for all the sore spots and mercilessly poking at them. He didn’t even know where he could begin to address all that.
“Trust me, it just keeps happening.” Leon answered so silently it was barely audible. He cleared his throat, speaking up a little bit louder after. “Get some sleep.” He got up from the bed where he’d been sitting for the most part of the evening, heading into the kitchen area. He grabbed a kettle, mumbling something about living in the 19th century as he started to fill it with water.
For a moment Chris stood there, confused, eyeing the bed and then the other man and then the bed again. Eventually he just blurted out what was on his mind. “So, how did you figure this would work?”
The question seemed to take Leon by surprise, and for a second he blinked at Chris before he seemed to realize what the problem was. The embarrassed flush that spread on his neck and his cheeks was barely there, only for the trained eye to notice. “I…” he drawled, sheepishly, avoiding eye-contact, “I don’t really… sleep. You go ahead. I’ll just. Make coffee and go through the floor plan once more, or whatever. I’ll keep busy.”
“What the fuck, Leon?” Chris raised his voice before he managed to stop himself. It wasn’t exactly news to him that Leon had troubles sleeping, he knew there was a long history of that with all the destructive self-medications included. But it had never been quite like this. Not to the point where Leon just stated bluntly that he had no intentions on even trying to sleep. Not knowing what else to do, Chris masked his worry into anger, hoping it would get through to the other man. “Do you honestly expect me to trust your aim and your reflexes if you haven’t slept in …what? Days? I’m not going to put my life on the line if you’re anything less than at the top of your game.”
They stared at each other, as if trying to force one another to give in with the power of mere stubbornness. Eventually Chris spoke so low it was almost a growl. “It’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed. C’mon. We can be adults about this.” Had he paused to think about it he wouldn’t have been so sure if he could actually do that, but as per usual, he spoke before thinking.
Leon hesitated. He didn’t seem angry, thankfully, but a little taken aback if nothing else. Finally he just caved in. “I– …fine.” Gingerly Leon took the very edge of the bed, still fully dressed. All he’d done was kicked off his shoes. He looked like he wasn’t even going to breathe, as he tried to stay so still.
Fucking A, Chris thought, this was going to be a long night.
Still, without a word, he quickly stripped down to a t-shirt and changed into comfier pants, getting ready for bed. He wasn’t really picky where and how he slept, but he’d be damned if he’d make this a bigger problem than it was. He’d shared close sleeping quarters with his team more than once, and it had never been an issue for any of them. Why should it be now? He could be a professional about this, even if his current companion was acting like a petulant child.
It took long before Chris managed to find a position he felt comfortable in and wasn’t in direct contact with Leon, respecting his personal space. Like said, he was a good sleeper though, and as soon as he settled down he was already down for the count. Maybe the night wouldn’t be as big a disaster as he’d feared.
*
When Chris stirred awake, the first thing he thought about was how full his bladder was and how he needed to pee so badly. He was already halfway up when he realized something else: Leon was actually asleep. That surprised him more than he would’ve thought, as somehow it had both sounded and looked like the man didn’t really have any intentions to even try to get some rest.
It was nice, though, Chris thought inwardly, how for the first time since they’d met up again Leon seemed relaxed and like he wasn’t carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Smiling softly to himself Chris moved as carefully as he possibly could, not to break the moment and ruin everything. He wasn’t exactly the stealthiest person on the planet, but after this he could give himself a good pat on the back. Not only he managed to go outside without waking the other man up, but also managed to get back inside and settle back down on his side of the bed.
Leon did shift a little in his sleep, but then relaxed again, and if his even breaths were any indication he was still very much out of it. Still tired, Chris would’ve rather fallen back asleep immediately, but somehow sleep eluded him and he just staid there, on his back, staring at the ceiling and listening to Leon breathing.
He remembered when they’d gotten together: it had been only physical at first, but even then Chris wouldn’t have minded if Leon had stayed overnight and they’d slept side by side after burning out their energy. Yet it had taken Leon literal months before he’d agreed to stay overnight. Even then, he’d been tense and nervous, never going an evening without a drink or two… or more.
Chris on the other hand had always been a cuddly person, even more so after all he’d been though. He drew comfort in being close to someone else, slept easier knowing he wasn’t alone. It had been such a victory for him when Leon had, for the first time ever, actually snuggled closer to him and stayed without having to be coaxed into it. The little sparks of joy that he’d felt then were like etched into his memory, and he couldn’t help but smile at the mere thought.
The smile dropped a second later when his mind scrolled further, into the heartbreak and loneliness. Shit, he hadn’t had a real, proper relationship after that. Not even one. The longest he’d been with someone had been a few weeks and it hadn’t even gotten past casual sex every now and then.
With a sigh he rolled onto his side, now openly watching Leon instead of staring at the ceiling. What the hell was it about this guy that still had such a hold over him? A part of him wanted to just lean in and gather Leon into his arms, to keep him close and pretend that nothing had ever gone wrong between them. But it wasn’t what Leon wanted. He’d made that very clear.
At some point Chris had obviously drifted off, as the next time he opened his eyes he was alone in bed, and sun was shining brightly outside. With a groan he rolled off the mattress and onto his feet, padding over to the kitchen area on autopilot. There was coffee, he knew it already from the smell before he found the coffeepot. Immediately he poured himself a mugful, taking a long sip even though it was so hot he nearly burned his tongue in the process.
The next second the door opened and Leon stepped inside, already shrugging off his coat. “You found the coffee,” he greeted the older man, giving him a faint grin, “good. There’s not much for breakfast, unless you want instant noodles or a protein bar?” He kicked off his shoes, not to get all of the snow inside, and headed straight towards the fireplace. The fire had gone out during the night, but it was still warm enough in the cabin. Wouldn’t be for long, though, unless they did something about it.
Chris took another sip of coffee, before rummaging through their ratios to see what they had. Nothing fresh, unfortunately, and nothing that really said ‘breakfast’ to him. He opted for a protein bar, then, ripping the wrapper open with his teeth before taking a huge bite. It wasn’t that bad, he could live off it for a couple of days. He couldn’t wait to get some proper food after, though.
Silently he observed Leon for a moment. The man looked good, almost chipper by his standards, and had obviously slept well enough. A cocky comment about it was on the tip of Chris’ tongue already, as it obviously was his doing. He had been the one to demand they both get some shut-eye. He didn’t want to break the mood, though, as for once they weren’t arguing or getting on each other’s nerves, like they had been all of the previous night. It was …almost nice.
Of course it couldn’t last for long.
There was no TV, no cell reception, no books and no magazines, really just nothing to keep them entertained after they’d gone through the plans again enough times to have them memorized. In their line of work it was nothing new to have to wait around every now and then, but being cooped up inside without anything to do didn’t really bring out the best in either of them.
They kept bickering about every little thing, from how the fireplace should be tended to how Leon thought Chris never closed the door quick enough and let all the warmth out, from the correct way to prepare the instant noodles to how strong the coffee should be. Most of those things neither of them really even cared about, under normal circumstances. Yet now they all felt like gigantic problems that one just couldn’t get over.
Eventually they settled as far from one another as possible, while both still staying inside the warmth of the cabin. Leon had spent the majority of his day basically slumped over the table, looking like he was bored out of his mind. Several paces away, Chris was lying on the floor with his feet propped up against the bed, and kept mindlessly throwing a wadded up pair of socks in the air and catching it.
Chris had been at it for a good while, and didn’t even notice that Leon had finally moved, not until his makeshift ball was caught mid-air and thrown on the bed instead. He looked up, meeting Leon’s gaze with his own. “What?”
“Let’s move,” Leon nodded towards the window, and only then Chris realized that it had fallen dark outside.
“Fucking finally!” In mere seconds Chris was up on his feet, already gathering up everything he needed to take along. The mission was all about stealth, sneaking in and sneaking out – admittedly not one of Chris’ strong suits, but he’d deal – so they didn’t need that much firepower. A couple of handguns and a combat knife for each of them should probably do the trick. Hopefully they wouldn’t need to use any of that, and would get in and out undetected.
It was so dark outside that it was difficult to see where to step, so that they wouldn’t end up tumbling off a cliff or falling on their faces in the snow after tripping on something. It had been snowing so much they were almost knee-deep in it, making walking much more a chore than it otherwise would’ve been.
There was a hill they had to get over, and neither of them really appreciated going uphill, but it was sort of compensated by how the higher they got the more the wind had blown the snow away, making it less of a struggle to get through. More than once Leon cursed the fact that they didn’t have snow shoes, but then again, neither of them was really practiced at walking with them so it might not have made that much of a difference.
The air still hung heavy between them, too. They hadn’t had any major arguments but the disagreements from earlier in the day were still somewhere in the back of their minds, affecting them more than either of them would’ve liked. So they made most of their trek towards the facility quietly, only the creaking of the snow underneath their boots breaking the silence.
A bit before they reached their destination the heavy clouds receded, revealing the full moon that cast light on their path. It was incredible how much light the moon could bring, especially compared to the complete darkness they’d just been enveloped in. Thankfully there were some trees they could take shelter from, in their attempt to sneak as close to the building as possible without being seen.
“Over there, by that spruce,” Leon said, wheezing a little, as they’d just climbed up the steepest part of their path. He moved to pass by Chris, but almost lost his footing already the next step. Chris’ reflexes were as practiced as ever, and effortlessly he grabbed a hold of Leon’s waist to keep him upright. It brought them way too close together, though, their sides pressed together, and for a second it caused them both to freeze.
They blinked at each other for one heartbeat, and Chris could’ve sworn he saw something flicker in Leon’s eyes, something that made his heart constrict and something dangerously like hope blossom somewhere in the depths of it.
Then it was over as soon as it had started. Leon practically jumped forward, swatting Chris’ hand away in an annoyed gesture. “I’m going to go around to see if the guards are behind schedule,” he said, voice strained and thin, but all business. “You stay here. The spruce.” He nodded towards the tree as if to underline his command, but didn’t stay behind to see if Chris had understood, instead marching off as swiftly as he managed in the snow.
Chris did as he’d been told, waiting patiently. He used the time to dig out his binoculars, trying to see if the guards really ran the perimeter of the facility like they’d been told. They were basically walking in semi-circles, one on the roof of the building and one around it inside the fence. Or that’s at least what they should have done. In reality there seemed to be absolutely no one there. That was more than a little suspicious, and immediately Chris had a bad feeling about this.
Soon enough Leon reappeared, an uneasy frown on his face. “Did you see anyone?” he asked as soon as he was so close he didn’t have to raise his voice. As Chris shook his head, Leon’s frown deepened even more. “It’s not what I’d been told. Although they seem to rely heavily on location… Maybe they thought no one would find them here?”
He was speaking more to himself than anything, but Chris answered him anyway. “With all due respect, I don’t think they’d be that big morons.” He pointed towards the large building, looming menacingly against the black night sky. “If they hold samples of key viruses in there? There’d better be some high class security. I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night and the place is otherwise empty, if I was in charge there’d be at least half a dozen guards outside alone.”
“Good then that you’re not in charge,” Leon griped, clearly annoyed. “C’mon, this place stayed completely off the radar and hidden for over two years before we heard the first whispers about it. Maybe they just suck.”
“Yeah, or maybe it’s a trap and we’re walking straight into our deaths,” Chris argued. He knew that it was unlikely anyone was expecting them, and maybe there was a logical explanation to the lack of guarding outside. Yet he couldn’t shake the weird feeling he got about the place, and he wasn’t exactly willing to run headfirst into danger if he didn’t absolutely have to. “I say we back down and redraw the plan. Who knows what else is wrong with the intel?”
“No.” Leon’s voice was firm, inviting no disagreements, as was the glare he sent Chris’ way. Something about his body language was uneasy…almost nervous, as if he did see the point that the other man was making but for one reason or another wasn’t willing to back down. The set of his jaw was tense, and the tension reflected into the tone of his voice, too. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to let a strike of good luck stop me.”
Chris groaned. “Leon, seriously –”
“No. Stop.” Apparently that was the wrong approach to take, as Leon immediately grabbed his gun and turned, already withdrawing further from Chris. “The information is good. There’s no way she’s luring me into a trap. I’m going in.” The words were clipped, as if he had to use all of his self-control to even get them out in the first place. And he didn’t even wait for a reply before he was already advancing.
“Fuck this,” Chris muttered to himself, shaking his head. He could already feel a headache coming, but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t let Leon go in there alone. Not because he didn’t trust the man, or believe he couldn’t handle himself, but… It just wasn’t an option. “Wait, I’m coming,” he said out loud then, trying to keep his voice low enough just in case someone was guarding the place after all and would notice it.
They made it all the way to the side entrance without any interruptions, though, without even a hint of someone being there other than the two of them. The guards certainly didn’t follow the pattern that had been in the file they’d learned, and it still seemed like there were none to begin with. Leon went straight for the door, fumbling with the keycard he had already opened the gate with to get the door open, too.
The first try didn’t work out, the door only flashed a red light and it made Leon curse under his breath. Chris watched him switch the card to another, frowning at the entire exchange. “Where did those come from?”
Briefly Leon looked up, meeting his gaze straight. “I’m not going to fight about this again.” That was it, he didn’t say anything more, and that was more telling than any words would’ve been. Of course, where else. The same place, the same person, that the obviously wrong information had come from.
Chris tried, he really did try, to keep his temper in check but he couldn’t help himself. The mere thought of Leon having so much faith in Ada made him more annoyed than he had any right to be. “Screw you,” he hissed, “You know I’m just trying to keep you safe!”
That made Leon snap. The door clicked open, but he paid that no mind, instead taking a menacing step towards Chris. “That is not your job! Your job is to help me find out who the fuck is hiding bioweapons here instead of destroying them properly. Stop doubting me, and for once try to be helpful!” His eyes were blazing, anger apparent in them, but he took a deep breath and after that his voice was at least a little steadier. “Now, move.” He nudged Chris forward, and the man obeyed without a single word, still reeling.
Was that what Leon thought he was doing? Not trusting him? That couldn’t have been further from the truth. If there was one person Chris trusted with his life, it was Leon. But at the same time he couldn’t help but worry, almost to the point of being irrational. Maybe they really shouldn’t have been working together… His judgment was obviously corrupted.
With a sigh he decided to let it go, for now, focusing on the task at hand.