Chapter Text
Chris sat slumped in his office chair at BSAA headquarters, staring blankly at the reports scattered across his desk. The words blurred together. He'd been trying to focus for the past hour, but his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.
"You look awful." Chris looked up to find Claire standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and a familiar look of disapproval on her face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Claire raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Nice to see you too."
A flicker of guilt crossed his face."Sorry."
"You should be." She opened her arms without another word.
Chris sighed and pushed himself to his feet. The moment he wrapped his arms around her, some of the tension in his shoulders eased. Claire fit easily against him, her frame tiny compared to his. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until now.When they finally pulled apart, Claire studied him carefully.
"it's been a long time..." Chris narrowed his eyes. "What are you really doing here?"
A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth."You got me. Emily called."
Chris just huffed and rolled his eyes, but the reaction didn't last long. A knot tightened in his stomach instead. Emily, or Tundra, her name in the Hound Wolf Squad, had noticed,which meant the rest of the squad probably had too. The thought made his jaw clench. For years, he'd worked to be the kind of captain his squad could rely on. The steady one. The strong one. The guy who always had a plan, even when everything was falling apart around them. The Unbreakable Alpha. If his squad could see the cracks now... He hated the thought.
"Chris." He looked away.
He hadn't told anyone about Leon. Not Claire. Not Jill. Not a single member of Hound Wolf. Both of them had agreed to keep their relationship private until they were ready, even though it's been almost 2 years now. Part of it was professional caution. They'd spent years earning their reputations, fighting for every ounce of respect. Neither of them wanted their personal lives becoming another topic for people to whisper about behind closed doors. But that wasn't the only reason. This was unfamiliar territory for both of them. Neither of them had ever been in a relationship with another man before. And yet, when Chris thought back to the first time they met, it almost felt inevitable. There had been something there from the beginning.
A spark.
A pull.
JUMP BACK TO China 2013.
FLASHBACK ON
The woman in red was finally within reach. Six months of dead soldiers. Six months of nightmares. Six months of replaying Finn's final moments every time he closed his eyes. Chris tightened his finger against the trigger.This was it.This was the end.Then someone stepped between them.Chris froze, the movement was so sudden that it took his brain a second to process it. A man, tall, lean, dressed in black, protecting her. For a brief moment, all Chris felt was anger.
Who the hell would stand in his way now? After a couple of punches and physical intrication the stranger turned toward him, blue eyes hard and unwavering. Not afraid.Not intimidated.Just determined. The realization struck a second later.
Leon S Kennedy. The Leon S Kennedy.
The name he'd heard for years in reports and briefings, who he had just exchanged words over phone calls. The government's golden boy. The survivor of Raccoon City. The man who saved his sister.
"Move." The word came out harsher than intended.
Leon didn't budge. Instead, he held Chris's stare. There was no arrogance in his expression. No challenge. Chris recognized that kind of look. It was the same look his own men got when they believed they were doing the right thing. For the first time, Chris actually looked at him. The exhaustion hidden beneath sharp features. The weight in his eyes. The kind of weight only another survivor could recognize.
Then Leon spoke and for a brief moment, the chaos around them seemed to fade. The distant gunfire, the screams, the rumble of collapsing buildings, none of it mattered as much as the man standing twenty feet away with a gun pointed in his direction. Chris found himself studying him longer than necessary, Leon did the same, ignoring the ones around them.
"You really think Ada's behind all this?"
His voice was calmer than Chris expected.Chris narrowed his eyes.And just like that, the moment was over.The professional rivalry returned.The arguments.The accusations.The mission.But years later, when Chris tried to remember that day, he wouldn't remember the gun pointed at him.He'd remember the brief second before either of them spoke.The moment he looked at Leon and felt like a magnetic pull.Something neither of them had been able to explain. Their connection only grew during the years, it was inevitable. Which made everything that much harder. Because for the first time in a long time, Chris had something he was truly afraid of losing.
FLASHBACK OFF
PRESENT DAY - BSAA HEADQUARTERS
He snapped back to reality when his sister snapped her fingers in front of him.
"Can you please tell me what's going on, this is not you" The worriness showing in her eyes, Chris felt guilty for making his sister feel like this, he was the older one, he was the one supposed to worry and care for her. "Don't you dare say it's nothing, never in my life I've seen you like that, so transparently wrecked, not even when you lost Piers."
The name was still a punch in his gut, he was not over the death of his best friend, he never was, but he's always been really good at hiding, but when it came to Leon, it was different, the agent made his defenses lower, he felt...vulnerable.
"Please, don't shut me down like you always do." Claire's voice was full of sadness, and something inside Chris ached at the accusation.
" Fine, I'll talk, but not here, I'm almost done, then we can go to my house."
"C'mon, you're the captain, and it didn't look like you were being very productive either."
Chris shot her a warning glance. That was all it took. Claire raised her hands in surrender, though the smirk tugging at her lips never disappeared. She knew her brother better than anyone. When it came to work, Chris was relentless. Rules weren't suggestions to him, they were orders. Sometimes she was convinced he was married to the job.
"God forbid Captain Alpha bends the rules for five minutes," she teased.
Chris snorted. "That's not my callsign."
"Close enough."
By the time they arrived at Chris's apartment, he had already waited long enough at headquarters to leave at his usual time. Being the captain came with certain expectations, and leaving early because his sister had shown up wasn't one of them.
At least Claire had managed to keep herself occupied. Unfortunately, that had involved spending time with Tundra. Chris didn't need to ask what they had talked about. Judging by the amused look she'd been giving him ever since they got in the car, he had a pretty good idea. The thought made him groan inwardly. Great. Now he was the office gossip.
After a quick shower, they ordered a pizza and settled onto the couch in front of the TV, paper plates balanced on their laps. The apartment was quiet except for the low hum of whatever movie Claire had chosen and the occasional rattle of the air conditioner. This was the version of Chris few people ever got to see. At work, he was Captain Redfield, steady, dependable, unbreakable. At home, the cracks were harder to ignore. Here, he wasn't a captain or a symbol. He was simply Chris. Claire's brother. Leon's lover.
A man carrying more weight than he knew what to do with. The urge to cry rose suddenly, tightening his throat. He pushed it back down. Not because it wasn't there.
Because he wasn't ready to face it.