Chapter Text
In your defense, you weren’t sure how to bring up the fact that your father was the president. That's not exactly an opener for any relationship. ‘Hey! Nice to meet you, my father is the leader of the country.’ What a great way to find a life partner.
It was sheer luck that your boyfriend Leon hadn’t found out until now. Your relationship only started a little less than a year ago, but he hadn’t asked questions. He met your mom! That was something! You had to work your way up to telling him about your father. Just as he had to work his way into telling you about his job, his past, his…life.
Ok, so you both had secrets that were extremely important.
And today, fate would have it that you and him wouldn’t have any secrets anymore.
“L-leon?” You swallowed, dropping the candlestick you improvised as a blunt weapon, “Y-you… what are you doing here?” you’d been shaking non stop since you were kidnapped on your way to work. Adrenaline had been pumping in your blood for days. But seeing him…Leon Kennedy…
His eyes were wide, gun lowered, “I was given orders by the president to locate his missing daughter.” Leon responded, “evidently…that's you.”
You nodded, “um…yea…” Your hands were shaking even worse than the rest of your body. You weren’t a combatant, not by any means, so being kidnapped wasn’t something you knew how to cope with, “T-thats me…”
So your boyfriend worked for your father. Meaning Leon was a special agent. You knew he trained in special forces, but everything surrounding those circumstances was something you waited for him to talk about. Even with the resources at your disposal to learn his past, you didn’t want to invade his privacy. So you waited patiently for him to tell you what he was comfortable with.
You tried to speak but your breath caught in your throat. Relief, terror, happiness, fear…you felt a storm of emotion in your chest. The trembling got worse. Your eyes filled with tears and without waiting, you launched yourself into his arms, “Leon!”
You were a grown adult. One who has a degree and a budding career. You owned a condo. You do taxes. Yet you sounded almost like a child as you cried in the arms of your boyfriend. You missed him. Among the horror and fear of your kidnapping, you desperately missed him.
His strong arms wrapped around you warmly and securely, “Hey…it's alright now.” he hushed you, “I got you, ok? We’re gonna get out of this and go home.”
You nodded, taking a deep breath, “Y-yes…” sadly, you had to pull away and wipe your tears, “Sorry, I just…I’ve been so scared…”
“Hey, it's alright,” He had a gloved hand on your shoulder, “I’m here now, I’m going to keep you safe.”
You nodded, giving a weak smile, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” He held your cheek gently.
The tender moment was disrupted by the doors to the church being slammed open. Instantly, Leon went from your loving boyfriend to a trained agent. He rose one finger to his lips and crouched down, stepping out of the door to investigate. You followed his lead, holding one of his hands in yours.
The church had activity now. The villagers who detained you were scattered on the first floor. They mumbled and rambled in Spanish as they weaved around the pews trying to locate both of you.
Leons hyper focused eyes looked back at you. He was about to whisper something but was cut off.
Your ears were ringing. Loud. too loud . A headache bloomed at your temples. On instinct you closed your eyes and gripped your head. Among the noise and pain you recognized words.
Pursue them. The lost lambs are escaping.
Flashes of a man in decorated robes filled your mind. He held a glittering staff.
Deliver unto them. Salvation.
As quickly as the headache came, it was gone. You were still left breathless.
One look at Leon and he had felt the same thing as you. But you both didn’t have time to ponder.
“Alright,” he whispered, “let's get the hell out of here.” His hand was gripping yours again as you made your way to the back of the church. Leon spotted the high-up ladder before you did, “Get the ladder.” His tone was assertive but not unkind, he crouched, indicating he’ll boost you.
You nodded silently, and stepped up to him. You braced your hands against the cold stone, and he used his strength to practically launch you upward.
Christ , you forgot how strong he could be.
You locked your elbows and raised a leg over the wall, lifting yourself the rest of the way. Easily you found the latch to the ladder and pulled, dropping it down.
As Leon climbed up, you peered up the worn stairs. It seemed to be an attic or storage area. Wood-rotted boxes and crates lined the walls, dust was so thick it looked like snow and cobwebs were tangled at every corner. Parts of the roof had collapsed.
“Where…do we go?” You whispered, still unsure if you should even speak with enemies on the first floor . You approached the opposite wall and looked over some forgotten barrels, maybe there was a door? A tunnel? Finding nothing, you returned to your boyfriend's side.
Your rescuer walked over to the open window and looked back at you. He nodded and immediately stepped through to the outside.
You looked over the edge and swallowed, “No way.” it must've been 15-20 feet! How did Leon not break his ankles?!
“It's alright, I got you.” He encouraged motioning for you to follow him.
Carefully, you climbed up onto the window and gripped the side. You swallowed and slipped off, causing your stomach to drop. It felt like your heart hit your throat as you fell.
However, instead of hitting cold, hard ground, a pair of muscular and protective arms caught you. Leon let out a breath when he stopped your fall. He paused, waiting for you to open your eyes that you had closed in fear.
Slowly, you opened one eye and looked up at your boyfriend. He looked handsome with the wind blowing his hair. His skin glistened with fresh rain as he stared at you with a smirk, “Hi.”
“Hi, handsome.” you responded with a grateful smile, “Thank you.”
You stood, and he raised a hand to his communicator, “Roost, I've secured Baby Eagle.”
Baby Eagle?
THAT was your code name?
Oh your dad and you were going to have a talk.
“Affirmative,” his tone was assertive. You followed Leon as he walked forward, one hand at his ear, the other aiming his pistol. He listened to the person on the other end, “Copy that.”
You kept your eyes on his back. The shirt he was wearing did little to hide the muscles of his back and shoulders. His fingerless gloves held the pistol in a tight grip, keeping his aim steady. His eyes were trained forward and serious.
He looked capable. Strong. Attractive .
Briefly, you wondered if joining the mile high club was possible in the next 24 hours.
“Like I said, it's dangerous. Stay close.” He commanded. Leon was cold, stern and serious. Even more so than when he’s with you back home. He wasn’t the most outgoing person, but his voice usually held some more emotion to it. More softness.
You didn’t blame him for his tone. He was an agent doing a job. And his job was to keep you safe and get you home.
Still…it confused you. Your father would have known Leon was your boyfriend. One of your security detail would have told him. It must be an intentional choice to send him, rather than someone who didn’t have a heavy emotional tie to you.
Remembering Leon’s look back in the church and it was clear he had the same thoughts. He must’ve been given your picture, told ‘find her’ and sent here. No explanation. No time to process. Just swallow emotions and do the job.
You couldn’t ponder for long. As you two tried to sneak through the graveyard, one of the villagers began yelling and shouting. He charged at you, raising a torch to use as a weapon.
Leon stood and pulled the trigger of his pistol, “They’re coming, get behind me.” he snapped.
“What the fuck is wrong with these people!?” You found your place behind him as he abandoned stealth and ran.
Despite the panic, the agent looked…ready. He fired his gun with precision and accuracy. A deranged villager got too close and he pulled his knife, blade catching them across the throat. Another was shot in the face and Leon spun on his heel, kicking them square in the chest.
Your boyfriend was a badass. You always knew he had skill, but seeing it in action...
Despite that, when he grabbed your hand to run, his fingers were gentle. His grip was strong but not too tight. It was reminiscent of when he’d hold you, kiss you and make love to you.
You both sprinted through the rain and mud, avoiding pitchforks, torches and any other improvised weapons the villagers used to attack. In the chaos you managed to make it back to the village.
Leon let go of your hand and pulled the shotgun from his back. In one swift movement it was locked, loaded and fired. The enemy’s head exploded.
Instead of collapsing, the headless villager let out a gurgling screech. In a burst of blood, an eldritch horror shot from the corpse. It was a twisted abomination of bone and flesh. The creature dripped with the crimson viscera of the person it had possessed. You screamed in response and one of its glowing orange eyes landed on you.
It whipped one of its tendrils downward and struck you across the upper arm. The impact was hard enough to send you tumbling to the ground. Mud slammed into your side as you went down, knocking the air from your lungs. You vaguely hear Leon call your name before the sounds of shotgun blasts deafened you.
Silence surrounded you as quickly as the monster had struck. Before you knew it, warm hands were on your arms, “Are you ok?” Your boyfriend asked, helping you to your feet.
“Y-yea, i'm good.” You nodded, letting him lead you away again. The rain was getting worse as it whipped your skin. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder blasted in the distance. It was mayhem.
Someone, an unfamiliar man, called to you and Leon from the safety of a cottage. He waved his hand, seeming so…friendly compared to everyone else trying to kill you. You stumbled inside, appreciating the warm shelter.
Once inside, you bent over, hands on your knees as you breathed heavily. Leon had a palm on your back as he recovered from the chaos you two just sprinted through. However, he stood straight and practically snarled, “You.” His ire was aimed at your savior.
“Hey…listen,” The man was panicking as he backed up, “about earlier-” he raised his hands to show he was defenseless but the agent didn’t seem to care.
Leon cut him off by pinning him against the wall with a fist, “Yea about that.”
The stranger turned slightly and spotted you as you straightened up, watching the scene, “Hey! I see you found your missing senorita!”
“The senorita has a name-,” You responded with your name, taking the cue from your boyfriend and raising your guard, “and you are?”
“Name’s Luis,” He winked, “Encantado.”
“Great, we all have names.” Leon seethed, pushing more on Luis’ chest, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The protectiveness in his tone wasn’t lost on you. You’ve heard his voice like this before, when strangers would get too pushy when you and him were out.
“Very good questions…” The dark-haired man gave a cocky smile, “Unfortunately…” His eyes drifted to the window. Just as Leon turned his head, the villagers you ran from had busted through the gate.
“Hide. now!” The agent snapped at you quickly.
Silently, you looked around, unsure what to do.
“In that case…Here! Help me.” Luis sauntered over to a tipped cabinet. He gripped one end and tilted it upward, revealing a small indent in the wall. It was just large enough for you to crawl into.
“Quick, over here.” Leon helped your newfound ally.
Obediently you nodded. Before getting on your hands and knees, you gave your boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. “Stay safe.” you whispered before crawling under the cabinet to hide. It slammed down behind you, bathing you in darkness. The sounds of gunfire and fighting were muffled as you continued to crawl.
As it turned out, the hidey-hole was actually a tunnel. You could barely feel the breeze on your skin as you continued forward. Noises of battle got softer as you kept going. The small tunnel took several sharp turns. You felt like a rabbit or mouse running through a burrow.
And the villagers outside were the predators. Hawks and wolves hunting you down.
The air felt thin. Too thin. You paused, breaking out into a small coughing fit. It might have been dust and dirt irritating your lungs. Or you're getting sick. Knowing your luck it was probably both.
You managed to crawl your way to a small hatch. Pushing it upward you were met with rain and fresh air. “Whew…” you breathed, stepping outside completely. You could hear the gunshots in the distance. Sooner or later Leon would run out of ammo.
You had to help them.
Your eyes took in your surroundings. You had emerged behind a shack, to your left were trees and to your right was a beaten path. Listening carefully, you followed the sound of fighting and gunshots. However, your steps hit hard wood after just a minute. You had crossed a gate leading to a wooden platform. It led to the side of the house that you had just escaped from.
Inside you could hear the struggle. One look at the ground below, you could see the deranged villagers swarming like ants.
Leon and Luis would be overwhelmed soon, if they weren't already.
You rushed forward and shoved the door open, “Leon! This way!”
His blue eyes met yours and without waiting, he ran. Luis followed and the three of you hurried down the wooden platform and passed the gate.
The agent turned and raised his pistol. However, in a split second decision, his aim changed. The gun fired, bullet hitting the control mechanism of the gate. It dropped heavily, slamming down on the mud and dirt below it. By luck, it crushed one of the villagers that had gotten too close.
Just like that, there was silence. Temporary safety. You stumbled ever so slightly, leaning against the wooden wall to catch your breath. However, your peace was short lived. It felt like your lungs spasmed, breaking down into another coughing fit.
Leon was at your side as you wheezed and gasped. Iron filled your mouth as you choked up blood. In your panic, you looked up at your boyfriend, eyes wide and blurring with tears, “W-what's happening to me!?”
Luis approached, grabbing your hand in his own, “is this the first time you’ve coughed up blood?”
You nodded and Leon spoke next, “You wanna start explaining?” There was genuine anger in his words. A certain defensiveness that you haven’t heard yet at all in your year-long relationship.
“The cough, the blood,” The spanish man stepped back and explained, “it’s caused by something called a…Plaga.”
You shared a look with your boyfriend before he continued. Neither of you had heard of such a thing before.
“Ok,” Your newfound ally continued, now beginning to pace, “You saw those ’people’ right? Well, you have the same thing inside of you. The same thing that made them like that.” He motioned to the gate that separated you from the monstrous villagers. “This…what you're experiencing, these symptoms…They’re only the beginning.” He walked past you, locking eyes with yours.
Your heart dropped, “I don’t want to become like them.” You panicked, looking at Leon. He gripped your hand, remaining silent. You could see gears turning, alreadying trying to formulate a plan.
“You are…well…lucky,” Luis continued, “You see at this early stage, the parasite- the Plaga. It is possible to remove it. With a surgical procedure. All you need is some know-how.” He raised his hands and opened his shirt. On his tan skin was a long and thin surgical scar. It traveled from his collarbone downward to his abdomen. “And, oh yea– the right equipment.”
“Wait, you too?” Leon finally spoke, eyes roaming over Luis, as if sizing up a threat.
“No worries!” He closed his shirt, hiding the evidence of infection, “See, I have a plan.” He raised a hand to his temple, tapping his temple with a flourish. He winked at you, a smirk on his lips. “But you're going to have to trust me.” He stepped backwards, expecting an answer.
Your boyfriend looked over to you, wanting your opinion first on the matter. You nodded and Luis clapped, “Great! We’re partners then.” He turned, walking away from you both.
“Hey, why are you–” Leon snapped, not enjoying how relaxed and nonchalant he was in the current situation.
Luis kept walking, he raised a hand to wave back, “No time for any questions. The clock is ticking!”
The agent holding your hand huffed, “Why are you helping us!?” He snapped.
Oh, Leon was done . He got short tempered when he was fed-up with a situation. You squeezed his hand, hoping to maybe ease his stress slightly.
“Because it makes me feel better, Let's leave it at that!” Luis called back, not slowing his pace, “I’d contact you later!” He waved a small handheld radio above his head. He disappeared from sight not long after.
As if on cue, Leon raised a hand to his ear. You remained silent, letting him listen to whoever was on the other end. His handler perhaps, or another agent, “Negative. Too dangerous.” He answered, beginning to walk, “We’re gonna get out of here. Find someplace safe.” There was another pause, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll swim home if we have to. Condor One, out.”
You shivered. Since you were already soaked to the bone from the storm, swimming wouldn’t really matter huh? Hell, at least you wouldn’t be muddy.
As soon as the call ended, his hands were back on his pistol, “Let's go.”
You followed him again, “Leon…” Your voice was barely above a whisper, “What's…going to happen to us?”
“Right now, let's just focus on getting out of here.” he responded, entering a light jog up the wooden paths and stairs of a hill. He didn’t want to lie to you, but also didn’t want to get your hopes up.
You weren’t a child. You weren’t some innocent teenager either. You could handle the truth.
“Yea…” You murmured, unable to argue a different answer, “right.”
Well…you thought you could handle the truth.