#v: stratcom (main)

[redactar]

[ DINNER ]: having learned that the receiver has had a difficult time lately, sender arrives at their door with their favorite dinner and drinks. // Claire @gatheringstars

@gatheringstars

She was the last person he wanted to see at his doorstep, and the only person he wanted to see all at the same time. He wasn't expecting her, having dodged text messages with vague "cant talk right now" and emails with "they have me running around, be back soon". All instead of the jealousy reeked what do you want to talk with me for, Claire, focus on your new boyfriend. Move on without me like you should. He had more self control than that, and it wasn't her fault she caught them on her doorstep when he'd tried to surprise her.

He was glad he didn't, because she wouldn't be here right now.

There was nothing he could do to cover up the waxen paleness of his skin, or the gauntness of his cheeks, or the darkened circles under his eyes. He hadn't even bothered to make himself look all that presentable, clearly having gotten out of bed only to get the door. As if suddenly self conscious, he took a hand through his unusually messy waves.

It was two months after Spain, and he had gone on three different assignments since. She must have gotten in contact with Hunnigan, who had insisted someone have her number for when he just couldn't answer the phone.

He was finally on furlough for a few weeks (hopefully).

The smell of Chinese take out made him both curious and vaguely nauseated. He couldn't remember the last time he had something that wasn't crackers, toast or plain eggs. He had been in and out of the hospital lately, still sick from Spain and everything else on top.

"Hey," Leon said, a little smile quirking his lips as he stepped aside. "Did I miss your call?"

His usually spotless apartment was a bit of a mess. Not quite a depression den, but give or take another week like this and it might be. The small dining table still had the remnants of his last attempt at breakfast and lunch. Leon cleared the two plates into the sink with the three cups and various cutlery. He would get to it. He would get to it when he didn't feel like a run over pile of dog shit.

"Sorry about the mess." Leon shrugged, didn't have a lie. "I'm not feeling too well."

[deadfutured]

@redclairy​

SIGHING,   the   younger   redfield   sat   down   beside   her   sleep   deprived   friend.   claire   knew   the   feeling   all   too   well.   unfortunately,   she   was   feeling   the   insomnia   get   worse   by   the   minute.   “   want   to   talk   about   it   ?   it   might   help   (   …   )   ”   a   small   yawn   escaped   from   between   her   lips.   the   long   day   was   starting   to   creep   up   on   her,   despite   the   fact   that   she   couldn’t   sleep.   “   yeah   (   …   )   too   many   loud   thoughts   are   running   through   my   head.   i   can’t   seem   to   shut   them   up.   ”

          Leon watched her from the corner of his eye as she sat down. He didn’t answer, leaning forward again so his elbows pressed against his knees. He could feel a headache building at his temples. How much sleep had he gotten in the last week? Not enough. 

                      “I’ll share, if you share.” Leon tried for a joke but his tone was off. He dropped his head into his hands, mussing his hair. He felt shaky and anxious, like he’d drank ten cups of coffee in one go. “You know, usually it’s Raccoon City or Spain. Not some...fucked up version of both.” He kept it vague. Sucked in a tremulous breath. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Claire.”

[chrisp30redfield-blog]

Cont. From here. @stratcom-agent-kennedy

The hand gripping and pinning the younger pushed harder onto his shoulder as the other was grabbing on his wrist, attempting to get his hand off. The device was secured tightly, made to stay and sustain high amounts of damage, but it was still an instinct of his body to try and preserve himself.

His icy blue eyes were empty, and folds have formed on his nose bridge as he snarled and hissed at Leon - much like a wild animal. Forcefully, he detached the hand gripping on him and send a fist to his face, just to end up hitting the wall right next to him. The indicator which was green just a moment ago was now blinking red - meaning the device was trying to re-gain control over Chris’ body and the man was fighting back.

The blond handspringed backwards twice before placing his rear down on the heels of his feet - balancing himself on his toes as his fingers were to claw at his chest with pain. It didn’t take long for him to brush it off and place his palms on the ground, spreading his fingers across it and circle around Leon like a wild cat searching for the right angle to tackle its prey.

[redactar]

“Not that bad huh? Say that to me without flinching.” //Claire :3c

@gatheringstars

"It's not--"

He wilted under her scrutinizing gaze. He looked like roadkill brought in by an overenthusiastic cat. How he'd gotten out from under the piercing eyes of medical was a real mystery. Claire wasn't so easy to shirk off. She had her arms crossed in front of her, giving him the knowing look, as if she had been a fly on the wall at the end of his assignment. He'd insisted he could drive a few miles, or more than a few miles, to get home.

He was fine. It was just a few broken ribs. No one could do anything about that.

"I'm not going to the hospital," he said, almost petulant. Leon looked at her through his bangs. "It really isn't that bad. Nothing some sleep can't fix, anyway."

[redactar]

@gatheringstars // cont from yes we’re gonna have 34234234 threads idc 

                 “Mm, why’s it matter?” He mumbled, voice rough. 

       Leon didn’t want to open his eyes. If he usually felt like hot garbage, he sure felt more like a flaming dumpster fire at this point. Head pounding, stomach cramping, a fever he couldn’t seem to shake. Leon didn’t know if it was the flu, or if that nasty cut he’d gotten on his arm was actually infectious. Damn b.o.w and its claws. He didn’t want to go to the hospital to find out. 

     He’d been up since 3am, and out of it for most of the time. Sarsi was an unwelcome-welcome guest. He leaned into the touch of the damp cloth, finally opening his eyes to look at her. 

             “Alright...” Leon held back a grunt as he forced himself to sit up and wavered. “You shouldn’t be here. What if you get whatever shit this is?”

[redactar]

cont from x @gatheringstars

[text: S; 11:45pm]: no no...sounds like fun

[text: S; 11:47pm]: every time i’ve been to europe it’s because something bad is happening.

[text: S; 11:50pm]: i’m just being paranoid.

[redactar]

@gatheringstars​ // sarsi doesn’t need this, but we’re giving her drama anyway.

      Was he bad luck? He never thought he would see one of the few civilian friends he’d made over the years sitting in a medical tent, covered in blood and dirt. Especially not her. It was rare he made friends outside of work, and even more rare that it was someone who had nothing to do with military life. Really, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. With the way the world was headed, everyone would know the horror of bioterrorism at some point. Living remotely or in a big city didn’t seem to matter. 

      Leon brushed off the paramedic sent with the evac team, ignoring the twinge of pain in his knee, the bruising no doubt blossoming black and blue all over his ribs, the stiff shoulder that was nearly pulled out its socket again. For him, this was normal. This was his life as it had been for a little over a decade. That wasn’t the case for someone like Sarsi. She didn’t belong here, as much as he hadn’t belonged in the same situation ten years ago. 

      At least he’d been a cop. Or about to be one.

                “Hey...” Leon said, uncertain how to start, what to say. He hadn’t explicitly told her what he did, or even lied about it. She didn’t really ask questions like that. That wasn’t how their relationship worked. They were just friends. “How are you holding up?” 

[redactar]

@boogomol​ // liked for a starter

                  “Anyone ever tricked your psychic powers before?”

[redactar]

                 “No, I don’t really have any family. I think there was a cousin or two, but I don’t remember them.”

[redactar]

( Subtly makes a pass at Leon because he can )

@boogomol

"Thanks, but I don't think we'd work well together."

He could, maybe, help you out though if you're really interested in a date, buddy.

[redactar]

@rebelchiss​ // continue from x

    The spike of sudden rage caught his tongue. He never liked seeing someone hurt like this. It reminded him of crying in the middle of the night, foundation and concealer hiding black and blue bruises on a too-thin cheek, and long sleeved blouses in hot weather. No te preocupe, Lechoncito. Fue un acidente. Too rough. Leon breathed in through his nose to calm the stoked flame that was beginning to boil his blood.

           “Don’t give me that bullshit,” Leon snapped, unable to hold his tongue with the last words out of her mouth. He stared at her, incredulous. “Yeah, you’re right, I’m a Federal Agent. You know what I deal with. Some asshole getting too rough isn’t the same fucking thing!”

    Leon looked away, wiping a hand down his face. Shit, he needed to calm the hell down. He could care less if she was still upset over that. This was different. He would be damned if he was going to let her get hurt. The bruising around her neck was enough. A black and blue choker made from some piece of shit’s hands. He’d break them. It wasn’t her arm, or her wrist. It had to be her neck. Too rough. For a brief second, he’s ten years old and there’s blood on the walls--

         “Sarsi, I don’t want to find out some bastard put you in the hospital--or worse.” Leon caught her gaze. “I swear to God, I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

[redactar]

　　　　A voicemail would appear in his inbox some weeks later, no missed call or anything. It was from Sarsi. She didn't want to do this over text, but also didn't think she could handle the anxiety of having it ring with the possibility he might actually answer. She was simultaneously high as a kite and a little bit tipsy from the nearly empty bottle of wine in her hand, but through her own sheer will power managed to keep it out of her voice as she spoke into the phone. Her emotions were the only thing that leaked out on occasion with the shake of her voice or a small sniff.

　　　　"Hey, Leon, it's Sarsi. I uh... hope you're doing okay. At least better than when we talked last time... I'm uh... I'm okay. Just been thinking about how we left things, and uh... I wanted to apologize for both my outburst and for pushing things like I did. It wasn't my place to ask you anything, and I am so sorry. I uh..." She sniffed and it went silent for a few seconds as she muted herself to let out a sob and cough before coming back to the message, her voice trembling. "I miss you... I hope we can still be friends, but um... if you'd rather just forget I even exist, I get that. I really do. I... Regardless, whatever you decide, I hope you find happiness, Leon. You deserve that much, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. So um... yeah... good-bye..."

@gatheringstars

After she left, Leon had done the very typical thing and gotten drunk off a bottle of expensive whiskey Claire had purchased some New Year's Eve. He'd gone to work the day after with a raging hangover and definitely couldn't look Ingrid in the eye.

There were only a handful of reasons Leon ever got so stupidly drunk, and at least two of them were relationship problems.

Which he didn't have, because he and Sarsi had not been anything.

So, instead of calling and apologizing for his shitty behavior like Claire had told him to, he avoided the whole thing altogether. Sarsi didn't text him or call him and that was for the best. She didn't need him weighing her down.

Only it was hard to forget she existed when he realized he'd been spending the majority of his free time with her. Claire had laughed at him. And then he was too busy to worry about his personal life anyway.

He got the message a few days late. Leon was on a short medical leave after a lab raid. No major injuries, but enough to keep him out of commission for a few days doing paperwork.

Good job, Kennedy. You're the one who should be apologizing. This is the shit you do to people. You make them feel like crap just because you do. This is why she's better off without you to fuck things up like this.

[Text: S; 9:30pm]: hey I got your message

[Text: S; 9:36pm]: you didn't do anything wrong, I fucked up. I'm sorry.

[Text: S; 9:35pm]: sorry I'm busy or I'd call instead

[Text: S; 9:38pm]: I'm going to busy for a while but... you've got my number, Sarsi.

[redactar]

From Sarsi:

[txt:Leon] what did one dorito farmer say to the other dorito farmer?

[txt:Leon] oh hey Cool Ranch!

@gatheringstars

[text: hips don't lie; 3:40pm]: Way cooler than their neighbor.

[text: hips don't lie; 3:41pm]: He tried to be different, but didn't pick the right chip.

[text: hips don't lie; 3:41pm]: Everyone knows you don't pay for fritos.

[redactar]

                  “Sorry. I’m listening, I swear. I just--...I’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

[redactar]

                  “I ate. I had a... bagel and a coffee.”

[redactar]

@redclaire​ // liked for a starter

           Leon hated hospitals. 

          It was more than that. He hated the white blankness of their interior, hated the smell of antiseptic and sickness, hated the maze-like halls and everyone who worked there. It wasn’t their fault, of course. Leon used to be ambivalent of hospitals and hospital-like settings. Things changed. Not for the first time, he wished they hadn’t. Leon hated hospitals for a lot of reasons, but he especially hated them because they tended to mean bad news.

          The receptionist at the front desk was quick to give him Claire’s room number. Perks, he supposed, of being married. At one point, he’d have had to give some convincing story, or claim he was her brother. Much easier to give the truth. He wasn’t really all that good at lying when it came to things like this. 

          By the time he reached her room, Leon was a taught string on a guitar about to snap. He sucked in a slow, calming breath as he pushed open the door to her room. A nurse was just finishing up, talking to her tired looking patient. Monitors beeped around Claire’s bed, and she looked... Too pale, far too pale. Leon dragged the plastic chair from the corner over to the side of her bed as the nurse made their way out. 

                        “Hey,” Leon said, voice soft as he took one hand in his. Swallowed. “Heard you had a shitty few days.”