In It For the Money

XVII

Soon enough Y/n stood in front of Chris, a huge circle of people watching from every angle. Y/n sucked in a breath and prepared himself, even if he didn't win he wouldn't scream and get pausing like most little boys might have. He had wrapped his knuckles, Chris opting not to, and let the breath out. It was eerily quiet all around them, Y/n taking a mostly defensive stance.

They both sat defensively for ten minutes before Chris suddenly broke off into a sprint. Y/n, zoning back in quickly managed to dodge it and push Chris backwards. The brunette stumbled a tiny bit before throwing a punch. Y/n dodged it and followed up with a leg sweep, which knocked the larger male off his feet. Y/n took this time to step back, knowing direct combat wasn't his strongest point.

Y/n breathed in softly, watching the male quietly with narrowed eyes. He stalked around him as Chris lay on the ground, feigning vulnerability. Y/n knew this was a trap, Helena had pulled the same trick on him several times before. Chris rolled onto his shoulder and got up, nodding proudly towards the shorter male. Y/n adjusted his stance and widened his legs slightly, preparing himself the Chris' attempted tackle. Only Chris didn't tackle him, he stopped last second and threw a punch that connected with the males shoulder.

Y/n hissed as he recoiled back, shaking his head and glancing momentarily at his arm before dodging a set of punches Chris threw. He blocked the brunette's leg with his arms and shoved him back, knocking the male to his knees. Y/n heaved a sigh, popping his injured shoulder before switching suddenly to offensive. He swung his arm back and threw a punch, Chris catching his wrist and flipping him over his shoulder.

This was what Y/n wanted as he used his core strength to do a similar action to Chris. He hadn't been taught the move, nor had he used it before. It felt right for him to use it in that moment, to prove he was smarter than he appeared. This made him pause for a moment, thinking while he sat on Chris' back and held his arm up in place.

Chris used the momentum to flip them, Y/n pinned on his back by Chris as the brunette held him there. "You done yet?" Y/n simply smiled shyly and shook his head, wrapping his legs around Chris' shoulders and flipping him. Y/n shot to his feet and went back to a defensive stance as the circle around them cheered. There was a thin line of sweat racing down Y/n's forehead. The fighting continued for nearly half an hour before Chris managed to fully pin Y/n to the ground, arm held on his back in a painful spot.

When the male relaxed, giving up Chris got off of him and helped him to his feet. Y/n breathed heavily, exhausted from working himself so hard. Part of him felt stronger, that he could have powered through the exhaustion and won the fight. He shook it aside, assuming it was feeling the loss. He went with the Captain to the mess hall and both men got something to eat before relaxing at one of the tables.

No one said a word about it, not even the younger recruits to each other. The whole room was silent, unnerving Y/n slightly. It was almost too quiet for his liking. It had begun to make him anxious before a thought popped into his head. What if this was the real test and the fight was a ploy? His eyes narrowed slightly and it felt as though his nerves melted away from him as he began to eat peacefully.

The male's mind wandered to Leon and how the male missed him. He wondered what Leon was up to and what he would be doing. He finished his food and sat there in the silent mess hall for a few minutes, brow creased with thought. Chris watched him for a moment, studying him with intrigue. The male didn't seem uncomfortable in the deathly silent house, so it wouldn't be so bad for them both.

Leon was sitting alone in his spot in the cafeteria, eating his food slowly in silence. He could hear the people around him talking about Y/n leaving and he hated it. He hated hearing about him being gone. He finished his food and went to stand on the roof, wanting to clear his head for a little. As he leaned against the cement wall, which housed the elevator he pondered whether Y/n did okay and was safe. Claire had told him a lot about Chris when they'd met in Raccoon City, so he could properly help her find him.

He just hoped Chris was as good as she swore he was. He took out his phone and hesitated to open his messages. He felt anxious, a strange feeling twisting in his gut that he didn't like. He calmed himself down, which had gotten easier the passed few years. He opened Y/n's message box and began talking shyly.

Leon: How did you do?

Y/n felt his phone buzz in his pocket and looked at it, smiling slightly to himself with pride. Chris was amused by this, wondering why he was so interested in somebody he wouldn't see for a while.

Darling: I didn't win, but that's alright. And I'm okay too! Nothing bloodied or broken.

Leon heaved just chest with relief, feeling the calmly wash over him like a wave. He slid down the wall to sit on the ground as he sat there talking.

Leon: You're so confident. It's amazing

Darling: I don't even think the fight was the test if I'm honest. I mean we're all in the mess hall and it's dead silent. No one's talking about anything. Not me. Not the fight. Not anything. It's a little creepy.

Leon hummed, amused hearing that.

Leon: But you're strong. You can overcome the silence. Maybe it's their way of texting how smart you are. And if it is a test then you're doing great.

Darling: You're an amazing distraction too, but on missions I won't be able to ramble off to you about what's going on. Probably not even after...

Leon: And that's okay, just stay safe for me okay?

Y/n smiled and nodded to himself, Chris and his team having turned to stare at the silent male curiously.

Darling: Of course Leon~ I love you and I should probably go now.

Leon held his phone to himself for a moment before replying with a saddened.

Leon: Alright dear, I love you too.

He heard the elevator ding and turned his head to see Hunnigan looking around. He stood up and sighed, shaking his head with his hair swaying peacefully as he did so. "I'm over here. Got a little crowded in there." She turned to him and nodded, looking around for a moment.