Chapter Text
Leon was currently on his way to the S.T.A.R.S. office with an extra skip in his step. There was always a sense of giddiness whenever he was ordered to deliver files there. The reason being that ever since he started training to become a police officer he's always aspired to become part of the team. He put in an application for an interview with the Captain a month ago and has been eagerly waiting for a response ever since. The wait was excruciating to say the least.
That wasn't the only reason why Leon had his head in the clouds. He was also quite enamored with a certain member of the team and Leon pounced at any opportunity to see them; even if it meant going on coffee runs or picking up lunch. The other officers made fun of him for acting like such a lap dog and chalked up his behavior to the naive rookie wanting to please his superiors by seeming eager to do busy work. If only they knew…
When Leon finally reached the office the door was shut, which was pretty typical, so he took care in opening it as quietly as possible. The last time he opened it with a little too much enthusiasm, the Captain snapped at him for disrupting the others despite the fact that they were mostly unbothered by his entrance. Still, once was enough for Leon to take the hint.
He entered and shut the door behind him. Leon looked off to the left to see if he had disturbed Captain Wesker, but the blonde was casually lounging back in his chair and talking on the phone to someone. Leon turned his attention towards the center of the room and spotted a few members working diligently at various stations.
Vickers was typing away on his computer, no doubt writing up a report on one of their recent missions. Burton was busy cataloging weapons and ammo, occasionally scribbling on his clipboard to update the inventory. And then there was the member that Leon had come all this way for; the lucky recipient of the files he clung to his chest and the main focus of his adoration. Chris Redfield. He was sitting at his desk with headphones on, flipping through documents and ledgers sort of haphazardly.
There was something so intriguing in the way Chris just always seemed so laid back and almost laissez-faire compared to the rest of the team. You would think a team run by someone as detail oriented and serious as Albert Wesker would take issue with that type of attitude, but Leon's pretty sure Chris gets a slide since he's good at what he does. And that's not to say Chris is lazy or anything. He just doesn't take things as seriously as some of the others. Because of this, Leon found Chris' aura to be all the more welcoming in that regard.
Leon meekly made his way over and stood there patiently, gripping the files in his sweaty hands as he waited for Chris to notice him. It didn't take long for Chris to finally realize Leon was standing there, but every second felt like an eternity. Chris took off his headphones and swiveled in his chair to face the rookie, giving him a charming smile.
"Hi, Chris," Leon greeted with a dreamy twinkle in his eye.
"Hey, rookie," Chris said in a somewhat flirty tone. "Got something good for me today?"
"Chief said they were confidential, so they must be important."
Leon handed the color coded folders to Chris and the other man accepted them gratefully. The rookie stood there awkwardly while Chris briefly scanned the inside of the files. When he was done he looked up at Leon with a skeptical gaze and squinted his eyes.
"You didn't look at these, did you?" Chris asked, gauging the young officer's reaction.
The kid almost instantly became flustered at the insinuation, much to the marksman's delight. Chris had a knack for teasing the rookie ever since he found out how adorable Leon was when put on the spot.
"Of course not!" Leon exclaimed a bit too loudly.
"There's nothing wrong with taking a quick peek," Chris assured. He leaned back in his chair, looking particularly cocky with his legs parted slightly; giving him the appearance of slouching. "You must be a little curious."
"Well, yeah, but I don't want to get in trouble," Leon said bashfully.
"You don't have to be shy," Chris promised, making the rookie's cheeks turn pink. "I won't tattle on you."
"I don't know," Leon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It wouldn't feel right."
"Oh, I get it. You're a good boy, aren't you?" Chris teased, smirking a little when Leon averted his gaze.
"Stop..."
Leon's face became warm and he let out a nervous little giggle when Chris winked at him.
Back in Wesker's personal little office, he had just gotten off the phone and was immediately distracted by the sound of giggling and idle chatter. Wesker let out a heavy sigh and pushed himself away from his desk to see what all the commotion was about. He saw a young police officer sitting on Redfield's desk, the new kid that was always nosing around, and decided to put a swift end to their fraternizing.
Leon was in the middle of being thoroughly teased by Chris when he was suddenly startled by a commanding voice.
"Can I help you?" Wesker asked, prompting the rookie to clamber off of the desk.
"Oh, I was just dropping off a couple files for Mr. Redfield, sir," Leon stammered, feeling quite embarrassed and looking all sorts of disheveled.
"And were you successful?"
"What?"
The Captain sighed dramatically like he was the world's smartest person trying to explain something to a simpleton.
"Were you successful in delivering the files to Mr. Redfield?" Wesker reiterated, talking in a slow, condescending tone.
"Um, yes..." Leon said timidly, cowering slightly under the intense gaze of the Captain.
"Then be on your way," Wesker ordered, sounding irritated and flippant. "We're very busy up here. And I don't need you distracting my team."
"Oh, c'mon Captain. He's just raising my morale a little," Chris bemoaned.
"Sounded like he was raising more than just your morale," Vickers remarked from his desk without looking up.
This comment was enough to make Chris' face turn pale.
"Shut up, Brad!" he snapped.
"Both of you need to shut up! I can't concentrate with you two bickering," Burton chimed in.
"Everyone back to work!" Wesker announced. He spared a glance down at Leon's nametag and then regarded the rookie with an impassive expression. "That means you too, Mr. Kennedy."
Chris put his headphones on and drew his attention to the new workload he just received. Wesker turned on his heel and walked back towards his office, expecting the rookie to do as he was told, but of course Leon was like an intrusive puppy that hadn't learned about boundaries yet. Leon jogged up to Wesker and stood in front of the man to block his way.
"Actually, Mr. Wesker, sir. I was wondering if I could, um, speak with you for a moment," Leon rambled, lacking the confidence to look Wesker in the eye. He quickly added, "If it's not too much trouble."
"If you must," Wesker groaned with the most exaggerated sigh. "Follow me."
The blonde man pushed past him and Leon followed after. Wesker walked around his desk and sat down while Leon lingered in the doorway as if waiting to be invited in.
"Make it quick."
Leon shuffled in and took a seat across from Wesker, putting his hands in his lap so he could anxiously wring them together. He summoned the courage to look over at the other man, but Wesker couldn't be further detached from the situation. He was more caught up in his files than whatever it was the rookie had to say.
"Well, sir, I wanted to talk about possibly joining the S.T.A.R.S. unit," Leon stated plainly, trying not to sound like an absolute wreck in the process. "Namely, Alpha team."
"Did you file the necessary paperwork?" Wesker inquired with a disinterested tone.
"Yes, sir."
"Then you'll have to wait until I get to your application."
Leon should've expected as much, but it still didn't stop him from feeling underwhelmed. He's already been waiting an entire month and hasn't gotten the slightest bit of acknowledgement; no word of how much longer he'd need to wait. He typically wasn't one for conflict, but if he was going to get anywhere in this line of work he'd need to learn how to be more assertive and stand up for himself.
"I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful--"
"Yet something tells me you're about to be…" Wesker interrupted, still not bothering to look at Leon. "Go on, spit it out."
"I was hoping that maybe you could make a small exception and interview me now," he suggested, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.
Captain Wesker wasn't the type of guy you made demands to. He was usually the one dishing out the orders and if you didn't fall in line there were consequences. Leon's not going to sit here and lie and say that he wasn't terrified, because he was. Wesker was an intimidating guy with an overwhelming presence and stoic exterior, but there was also something striking about him. Something that made Leon want to play with fire.
The blonde man raised his head slightly and glanced up at Leon curiously. Wesker was used to seeing the rookie around quite frequently, delivering files and bringing coffee, but this was the first time he actually looked at him. The kid's features were soft and boyish; angelic in a way. As if he had been carved from marble to preserve the essence of his beauty and youth. He had an innocent and demure disposition about him; qualities that seemingly felt out of place for this line of work, but were surprisingly refreshing. Wesker could see why Chris seemed so keen on him. He was definitely easy on the eyes.
"Are you always so impatient, Mr. Kennedy?" he murmured, though there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.
"I prefer the term enthusiastic, sir," Leon clarified, becoming more emboldened by Wesker's somewhat positive reaction.
The right corner of Wesker's mouth curled up into a smirk and he hummed with amusement at the rookie's tenacity. He pushed aside what he had been working on, folded his hands together, and gave the young man his undivided attention.
"I've read through your files Mr. Kennedy. I must admit, I'm quite impressed. Graduating from basic training and the academy with the highest marks of anyone in your class. It's quite a feat," Wesker complimented graciously, noticing the way the kid's face seemed to light up instantly.
"Thank you, sir," Leon gushed with appreciation; blushing profusely.
"That being said, there are plenty of other applicants who have achieved just as much as you, if not more."
At this, Leon's expression faltered by just a fraction because he knew where this was going. It was like waiting for an acceptance letter from a prestigious university, only to have your hopes dashed when you finally get it and read the dreaded words "but unfortunately". Leon was already preparing himself for the worst.
"So, the question is: why should I consider your application? What makes you better than the rest?"
"I don't know how to answer that, sir," Leon admitted, hanging his head.
"You don't know what you excel at, rookie?" Wesker challenged, coming off snarky. "Heh, figures."
"I mean, if you've read my files then you already know what I'm good at," Leon pointed out, sounding particularly bratty because he didn't appreciate being mocked. "Seems redundant to waste more of your time by telling you things you already know."
"And yet here you are anyway. Wasting my time," Wesker remarked, hoping to get even more of a rise out of the naive rookie.
"Look, I know you think I'm just a dumb, inexperienced kid compared to the rest of your team, but I'm willing to go the distance," Leon declared, ignoring the way his face burned with embarrassment when Wesker chuckled a little. "Even if it's just hauling equipment around, I'm more than happy to be a pack mule if it means being a part of the team."
The rookie had spirit, that's for sure. If nothing else. Wesker could admire Leon's persistence and he wasn't lying when he said he was impressed by the kid's academic accomplishments. Leon lacked actual military experience, but he had gone through the same training. Plus, he was kind of cute and having him around might be a little fun.
"Hmm, I guess I could be persuaded to give you a little test ride," Wesker surmised thoughtfully to draw out suspense. "But what would you be willing to do in order to prove yourself worthy of joining S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team?"
"Anything, sir," Leon proclaimed, resolute in his determination. "I'd do anything."
Wesker smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that."