Coincidence

6

We made our way down to the jail cell that Ashley rested in. I watched as Leon freed her hands, her pale figure shivering from weakness and blackened eyes fixed shut. Darkened veins ran down both her arms and spread into her chest. For a moment, Leon froze with a look of contemplation. Across from him i observed as he decided to take a vial of some sort and inject it into Ashley's neck. 

I took hold of Ashley's hand and observed as the veins in her palm became less and less visible, reverting back to their natural hues. The color came back to her face and Ashley finally seemed to be at peace, fast asleep. I sighed with relief as Leon held patted her head and said, "She's gonna be ok."

I reverted my gaze back to him, questioning, "And you, do you have anything left for yourself?"

Leon avoided my eyes, shirking his body away from me with a grunt of pain. Walking over to him, I put a comforting hand on his shoulder to reassure him that things would be ok. Maybe Luis was trying to find another cure as we spoke, if not, we still had each other.

With another grunt, he leaned further into my touch, almost falling into my figure. I helped him sit, his back propped against the frame of Ashley's bed and his shoulder touching mine. I rested my head on his shoulders, closing my eyes and relaxing my tense body. There was something so comforting about his presence. His personality was so addicting, so blinding, that I almost forgot why I was here. It was getting harder and harder to come clean about my true intentions as time passed. For the first time, in a long time, my conviction faltered. It was as if Leon had the power to melt my outer shell, to make me forget all my training and act like a love-sick fool.

After about an hour of contemplation, I finally decided to do it. Opening my eyes, I lifted my head off his shoulder and readjusted my seating position. Before a single sound could make its way out of my slightly open mouth, Ashley weakly inquired, "Leon, y/n?"

She put her hand on my shoulder, and I, in turn, placed my hand on top of her's. Leon was now kneeling, staying eye-level with Ashely were as I stood, helping Ashley sit up.

Leon began, "Sorry I'm late," to which Ashley gratefully replied, "No. Thank you, both of you. You brought the medicine just in time."

I began inquiring about her health leading me to the question, "Can you stand?"

Much like me Ashley wondered, "Where's Luis?" as she slowly stood up beside me, holding my arm for support.

Leon chimed, "He was worried about you...Come on, we don't have much time. Let'd get rid of these things."

As I caught Ashley up to things, Leon stalked behind us talking to Ada – I assumed as he spoke with frustration laced in his voice – about the location of a facility with more cures. Soon, he overtook us and lead us to the other end of the island. The trek was quite calm, so me and Ashley continued to talk. She described her life before this mess, about the typical college girl lifestyle she had. I on the other hand, tried to keep my descriptions vague and brief, mainly choosing to divulge on my passion for uncovering the truth rather than my motivations for it.

Leon tried to look disinterested, trying to put on a facade for Ashely that told her that he was only here to retrieve her. But I noticed how his ears perked at the slightest groan or yelp Ashley made, how smirked when me and Ashley conversed about her dating life and how he remained on guard, even when there was no one nearby. To put it simply, he cared, for both of us. Maybe even more so than he did himself.

Ashley, noticing the same, made her way towards Leon, advancing on him. Her flirtatious attitude made me chuckle, reminding me of a childhood that I so dearly longed for. One where I had the luxury of having a schoolgirl crush like her.