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The car window was rolled down a little bit. It was just enough for Chris to stick his cigarette out the window and tap the ash and embers away into the wind. He held it up to his mouth with one hand while his other firmly gripped the steering wheel.
"Smoking's bad for you, you know," Leon commented as he rested his elbow on the door and propped his head up.
The smoke from Chris's cigarette trailed out the window, eerily illuminated by the streetlights passing by above. Silence filled the car, with only the sound of the car’s engine and scent of cigarette fumes disturbing the air. After a few long seconds, Chris removed the cigarette from his mouth.
"Yeah well," he said, smoke escaping from his mouth with every breath, "so are our jobs.” Chris put his cigarette back into his mouth, keeping his eyes fixated on the road ahead. "By the way, how's that liver of yours fairing?"
"Better than your lungs, clearly."
"Those three bottles of Jack Daniel's a night have something to say about that."
"And yet, I can still breathe just fine," Leon said with a shrug.
Chris shook his head slightly in disapproval. "You won’t be able to for much longer once Ada finds out about that Porsche."
That Porsche. That expensive car that Leon left right in the heart of Raccoon City. The city that was nothing more than a dead zone. Yeah…that very car…in that very city…
"At least I don’t have a daughter to worry about coming home to," Leon said, shifting his gaze to the window.
"You have Sherry."
"She’s forty. Besides, she hasn’t stayed with me in a long while. You, on the other hand—"
"Rose technically isn’t even my daughter."
"Technically. But she might as well be at this point in time. Think about it real long and hard, who is she happier to see: you or Mia?"
"...Jill."
"Well, still counts. It’s only a matter of time before she stays with you permanently."
"With the nature of Mia’s involvement, or lack thereof, I wouldn’t be surprised if that came sooner rather than later," Chris said, with a heavy sigh.
Leon shot him a somewhat perplexed glance. "You’re acting like that would be a bad thing."
"It’s not. But every opportunity she has, Jill has been teaching Rose martial arts as her idea of schooling. She even has her asking to train during what’s supposed to be their down time. Now imagine her once she reaches double digits in age, having a head start in throwing punches before she could even read.”
"Afraid of a little girl, Mr. Valentine?" Leon said with a smug grin.
Chris laughed sheepishly, catching the cigarette in between his fingers as it fell out of his mouth. "Jill’s a force to be reckoned with. Hell, you’ve experienced her kicks to the face herself, and now she has a trainee.”
"So, in other words, you’re afraid of both Jill and Rose."
"Not like you have much room to talk. A part of you fears Ada."
"I don’t fear her," Leon was quick to clarify, "I listen to her. She tells me to do something, and I do it. Big difference."
"Do you bring back the Porsche when asked?"
Chris slowing down and pulling up to the curb in front of Leon’s house was most conveniently timed. Leon took the opportunity to not say a word in response as he exited the car. Chris was not willing to let him off the hook so easily, as he rolled down his window completely and shouted for him.
"Bastard! You didn’t answer my question!"
"The answer doesn’t matter if I’m not going to make it back alive," he replied, not even bothering to spare him a look back.
Chris simply shook his head and rolled up the window.
"...Godspeed, soldier,” he said quietly under his breath before driving off.
In the dead of night, the house was rather quiet, as the sound of the door opening echoed throughout the still atmosphere. That however, did not necessarily indicate that the place was unoccupied. Two cats claimed his home as their domain: one that had followed him back through the streets one evening and one that had been following him since his first time in Raccoon City.
The sound of hissing caught his attention. His cat—the four legged one—stood upon the armrest, ears flattened and teeth barred. He watched as it leaped off and bolted in front of him, stopping in its tracks to bristle its fur and spit at him one final time before taking off into the darkness of the first floor. Leon looked down at his hands. Though they were now free of signs of infection, they were still filthy. Dirt was caked on by blood and guts, making his familiar scent unrecognizable.
The stairs leading to the bathroom upstairs would be, in theory, his easiest trial as of recent. However, his entire body weighed him down and a sense of helplessness loomed over him as the adrenaline had completely worn off. Leon wearily stood in place and stared at the imposing staircase reaching up before him, dreading that first step of the treacherous climb. Light, graceful footsteps piqued his attention and he turned his head away from the staircase.
"Not even a 'hi honey I’m home' for me?"
Ada stopped a few paces before him, scanning his disheveled appearance from top to bottom.
"...Hi honey, I’m home," Leon said with a soft yet tired smile.
"A little late for that," she poked with a playful giggle.
The light was dim and thus it was rather difficult to say for sure, but Leon could’ve sworn that he saw her eyes dart towards the door. Did she notice that the car keys weren’t back on the hook? Did she think that it was unusual for him to not hang them up after returning? In a clever way to attempt to divert her attention, regardless of the reality of the situation, Leon leaned forth for a greeting kiss out of habit, but Ada stopped him in his tracks by pushing back on his cheek with her finger.
"Not until you’ve had a shower," she said.
"Racoon City sewer water is fine, but you draw the line at a little bit of zombie stink."
"That’s radioactive Racoon City zombie stink for the record, darling."
Leon put his head down and nodded. It was an argument that he had already lost before it even began. Ada did have a point somewhat, but she was also acting as if the sewers weren’t already radioactive in the 90s.
Even with sad puppy eyes and a pout on his face, Ada’s willpower was unbreakable. But she wasn’t enough of a coldhearted woman to leave this matted dog to fend for himself. She threw his arm around her shoulders and guided him up the steps and into the shower, even despite that "radioactive zombie" she was so insistent that Leon clean up before coming any closer to her. Soon, Leon was showered and had retired to their bed, though he was unable to wash himself clean of the many worries that still plagued his mind. The undead that still roamed the city...Grace and her injuries...the car left in the middle of the dilapidated road...
At least his life was one thing he no longer had to worry about for the time being. Rather than claw his throat out, at least for now, Ada crawled into bed and curled up beside him, not saying a word likely under the assumption that he was asleep. He was still unsure if she had become aware that he did not bring home the Porsche, but Leon had no energy to spare for worrying, as he had been awake for well over a day straight. Perhaps all it would take was the span of a night for one cat to forgive his appearance and for another to disregard his negligence.
When he woke up in the morning, or afternoon, or whenever it was, Ada was not beside him. It was nothing unusual and of no cause for concern, so he did not spare her absence a second thought. Slowly, he pulled himself out of bed, not rushed by the obligation of pre-work routine. Not even a missed call from Sherry asking where he was, as she knew he would be impossible to wake after an excursion like that.
Using the wall as guidance as he was still half asleep, Leon made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. At least the cat seemed to be feeling at least neutral towards him now, as it didn’t bolt at the first whiff of his scent. With a cup of coffee in hand, he went out front to hopefully enjoy at least a few minutes of fresh, peaceful air before the inevitable phone call.
That peace was short lived. Three steps out of the door, and Leon froze in place in utter disbelief at what he saw.
The Porsche that was supposed to be stranded in the middle of the Racoon City streets had pulled up in front of his house. The window rolled all the way down.
"Forgetting something, handsome?" Ada said.