Chapter Text
The diner Leon and Jake agreed to meet at gets busier as the morning went on, which gave relief to both when the conversation lulled into an awkward silence. It was not because they disliked each other (far from it), but because of how long it had been since they last spoke. This was the first time in a while that they were together face-to-face. Though it was Jake's idea to catch up, Leon insisted on paying, telling Jake to order whatever he felt like. The server had just walked away, leaving the two men to study the wood grain of the table or count the number of sugar packets there where in the jar.
"So," Leon began, "how have you been? Still with BSAA?"
Jake stretched his arm out along the top of the seat. "Yeah, I've been good. Me and Redfield have gotten real tight over the years."
Leon chuckled at the thinly veiled annoyance. He could imagine Jake and Chris could give each other real hell.
"If you're looking for work closer to home, I'm sure I can put in a good word for you at the DSO," Leon said, half-seriously. Jake was a competent fighter; they could always use more of those on their team.
Leon swore he could see Jake's imagination run wild for a second before he waved a hand in the air, declining. "Thanks, but I've got a solid gig there right now. I'll be sure to keep you as reference."
"Suit yourself," Leon smirked.
The pair continued talking, growing much warmer in their exchange. Primarily, they discussed assignments they had been on for as much as their nondisclosure agreements could allow. A server arrived at their table, setting down their orders. Leon's black coffee was piping hot as he added a teaspoon of sugar, and Jake dug into his plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes. There was a particular topic Leon was itching to bring up: Sherry Birkin. Jake was on leave from work and was staying with none other than Sherry. She always acted as a middleman, occasionally updating both Leon and Jake on how the other was doing. When she had told him the news of his return and where he was going to live, Leon couldn't hide his wariness. He knew Sherry trusted Jake, and the anecdotes she told him didn't raise any alarm about his behavior. Even so, Leon needed greater assurances that Jake wasn't making things harder for her. Getting the answers he wanted could only come from questioning Jake himself.
The distraction of food and drink helped cushion the change of topic. Taking a sip of his coffee, Leon brought it up as if it was just an afterthought.
"By the way, how's staying with Sherry? She's mentioned it to me a few times now."
The knife and fork in Jake's hands stilled. He continued to cut into his pancakes, much slower this time.
"Yeah, yeah it's been great. She's the perfect roommate," he answered, not quite looking Leon in the eyes. "What's she been saying about me? Only good things I hope."
There was a chuckle that followed, though it seemed rather forced.
Leon tempered his hostility. If he was going to find that Jake was treating Sherry poorly despite her kindness, he couldn't promise that Jake would make it out of this diner in one piece.
"It was just surprising to hear your name after all this time," he said.
Jake shrugged. "We've been keeping in touch for a while now."
"You're not causing any trouble for her, are you?" Leon asked, speaking slowly, testing the words on Jake.
"No!"
For the combat specialist Jake was, he seemed to lose all dexterity pretty fast in his moment of indignation. His fork clattered against the table, but he caught it before it could drop on the floor.
"At least, I hope not. Jesus, did she say something bad about me?"
He looked like a deer in the headlights to Leon. There was a sincerity to Jake that disarmed him. Like he was truly concerned about how he acted around Sherry. Leon thought he was maybe reading this all wrong. He did remember Jake to be rather moody, sure, but never this frazzled.
"Hey, I'm just messing with you," Leon said with what he hoped was a defusing laugh. "Is everything alright? I haven't got a wire or anything, you don't have to be so on edge."
Jake avoided Leon's gaze. He scratched the back of head, muttering a curse. Pushing aside the half-empty plate, Jake finally spoke, "I'm sorry Leon, there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about."
Leon frowned. "Sure, I'm all ears."
It took a few seconds for Jake to respond again. The man that sat opposite Leon had faced off against corrupt government officials, turned his life from hard-hearted mercenary to protecting those less fortunate against B.O.Ws. Yet, he would probably name this as one of his greatest struggles. Admitting something he had kept to himself for far too long.
Jake sighed deeply, finally looking up at Leon. He hoped he wouldn't regret this.
"I think… I think I'm in love with Sherry."