What We’re Fighting For

[madimpossibledreamer]

I have only seen scenes of RE: Infinite Darkness. I have seen enough at minimum to say that Leon can pull off a suit. It’s not talked about in the fic, but the reason Xander feels weird about wearing blue is that that’s Vergil’s color. He feels weird about purple, because that’s Sparda’s and he doesn’t feel like he deserves to wear it, and red is also weird but at least he was briefly Dante so even if he’s ‘stealing’ it, it feels less weird to him. It’s more like continuing to use something he accidentally stole than stealing something new. (He thinks about this way too much.)
Also these two are adorable and I love writing them.
(I have now seen RE: Infinite Darkness. I love competent detective!Leon and I disagree with Claire. Man can pull off a suit.)

Possible series names: Hold My Heart, You Hold My Heart, The Heart Finds a Perch, Highest State of Art, Latticework of Dreams, others I'm not thinking of?  I'm leaning toward one of the first two if no one has an opinion, so might end up just choosing one of those soon if I don't get feedback.  All but the chapter title are from The Sweet Escape by the Poets of the Fall, because "my fierce friend" (which interestingly just exists in the English version, not the French one) and the emphasis on compassion are very these two.
 

Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry/Resident Evil/Background NCIS Crossover
Chapter Summary: And sometimes the backup is unexpected.
Word Count: 1739
Rating: Teen (slightly suggestive?)
Pairing: Leon/Xander

 

         Leon glances up from his appetizer and nearly chokes. He manages to disguise it as a polite cough and excuse that there’s a newcomer he hasn’t talked to…which is technically true, but absolutely not the full truth, either. Time was, he would’ve just said something bright-eyed and innocent about networking. His current line of thought describes this a little more like ‘sucking up’. The experience and understanding is nice, but sometimes he misses not being jaded, too.
         Then again, maybe he’s not that far gone. He recognizes that breathless feeling from going to prom with his high school sweetheart, seeing her in a dress for the first time. He’s absolutely seen Xander’s muscle, and it’s not like his usual outfits are bad, but damn, he hadn’t been ready for the fit on that suit. And the fact that they’re both wearing blue, even if it’s a slightly different shade, like they’re matching, has him wanting to giggle nervously. ZZ Top might be slightly wrong, because it’s not only girls that go crazy about a sharp-dressed man. And sure, he’d felt something similar with his first male crush in a police officer’s uniform, if by ‘similar’ you’re comparing a candle to a bonfire.
         He quickly files both thoughts under ‘ridiculous’ and therefore ‘should share with Xander, later’.
         “That color really brings out your eye,” is what he says when he finally reaches him, voice pitched low so as not to carry.
         Xander blushes just slightly, but plenty of the diplomats look worse, and unless they’re paying enough attention to realize he hasn’t been here very long, they won’t think twice about him possibly being slightly tipsy.
         “I feel weird wearing blue,” he replies, hand coming up in a nervous gesture before he realizes he shouldn’t be fiddling with his collar or tie or something. At least the nervousness isn’t making him raise his voice; if anything it’s making him quiet, which Leon had thought was more unusual early on, before he’d learned that his boyfriend absolutely can be quiet and it’s an occasion to worry almost every time. “It, um…I’ve been told I look good in blue, but it’s not my color, it’s someone else’s. You can pull it off. Red’s also someone else’s but at least that feels more natural. And I feel weird in a suit—I mean, I did dress up as James Bond that one year, but that’s different.”
         Redgrave catches himself as he starts to babble, smiling and taking the glass Leon offers him. It’s clear he’s still wound up tight.
         “Buffy tied my tie,” he admits, which makes Leon smile. She’d probably given him a pep speech that had fired Xander up right until he’d made it to the front door and reality set in.
         “Don’t worry about it; you look great.” Smells great too, not like he’s going to say that out loud where just anyone could hear. It’d been one of the harder lingering aftereffects of the Plagas infection, the way zombie rot didn’t just stink, it overpowered, but he can’t find it in himself to hate it now. His senses probably aren’t as strong as Redgrave’s or a Slayer’s, but he can catch enough of a whiff to be fairly sure that’s a new cologne, and even if he can’t name every single ingredient the intriguing spicy notes definitely make for a change from his usual (when Xander thinks it’s necessary, that is).
         He wants to put his hand on Xander’s back as he leads him to the appetizers (because food will settle his nerves) or maybe dance a bit, but he hasn’t been briefed on the situation and doesn’t know if they can afford to jeopardize dealings like that (or if it even will). It shouldn’t. Not if the world was a better place, but it’s far from perfect and now that he’s older Leon sees that.
         Of course, he’d never really thought about how much the plus one being a gorgeous lady in a dress was just a given the way where a handsome man in a suit was not, how one would be treated as natural and the other would stand out. Sure, if you’d asked, say, when he’d been in the academy, he’d protest, because the boy scout didn’t like things that were unfair, but it’d never been quite as immediately apparent before.
         Later. Just because he doesn’t do it now doesn’t mean he’ll be deprived forever. He can use his federal paycheck for a nice date, and Claire would be happy to do the work to find more upscale locations that won’t ask him frostily to get out.
         “Should I talk to Hunnigan again?” he continues, because maybe that’s a safer topic, and Xander pauses before putting the cheese in his mouth to chuckle.
         “Pretty sure it’s a last minute thing, at least on my end. They only told me half an hour ago.” Which probably means he’d been teleported in, and might need a ride back out. Given Miss Rosenberg was probably in charge of that arrangement, he wouldn’t put it past her.
         “Fair enough. Let me know if you need me to drive you.” He opens his mouth to say something—he’s not sure what, as all thought disappears from his head the second he catches the white-haired beauty mutter under his breath.
         “That suit is just unfair.” He’s been told that before, but it’s not the same. There’s that giddy high school feeling again, just begging for a flirtatious reply, and while Leon’s been good all evening, he’s not that strong.
         “Maybe I can wear it to your apartment later?” He’s tempted to follow that up with a ‘I’ll show you yours if you show me mine’, but that’d be even worse if anyone overheard. From the look of things Xander both likes that idea and wants to cover his whole face and possibly disappear into the floor. He responds by shoving the entire slice of cheese into his mouth instead. The slight cheek bulge is a bit of a social faux pas but from the look of things as Leon takes a surreptitious glance around most of the guests aren’t even in this room anymore in the first place.
         “Sorry, that was a little too much.” He’d put a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s arm if he didn’t think that’d just make things worse.
         “No, you’re not.” Leon could almost take the automatic response if it was accusing. It’s not. It’s a simple statement of fact. The smile falls from his face and Xander’s not even looking at him so he doesn’t see.
         He reaches out now, because he can’t bear for this to continue, and practically taps the man on the upper arm, touch soft and light and only to get Redgrave’s attention. The eye lifts from where it’s been staring for a moment, just a little lost, at the floor, questioning.
         It’s not hard to summon that earnest, serious police officer from somewhere inside, because this? This matters. (Maybe that’s the cynicism, a panicking, worried part of him whispers, maybe he was convinced that nothing mattered anymore when nothing could be further from the truth.) “I am. I mean, I enjoy teasing you, but I don’t like it when I go too far. You’re not just…entertainment.” It’s inadequate, he panics a little internally, even as he tries to communicate with his expression and body language that however flawed his word choice is he means all of them.
         It’s even worse when Xander’s first reaction is to actually give in to his earlier instincts and hide his expression behind one hand, no matter who’s watching. Leon’s about to suggest they take a walk in the gardens, because that could be construed as friendship by anyone that might be otherwise offended and damn it he has to fix this now—when Xander lets the hand fall.
         His eye is a little bright, though it’s impossible to tell if those are tears or not, and while it’s a little small that smile is genuine. Relieved and happy and precious, and it might take Leon a moment to regain his composure, because damn is he lucky.
         “I’ve…never had anyone I’m dating tell me anything like that before.” It’s a small, genuine confession, vulnerable and open.
         In general, Leon tries to avoid badmouthing Xander’s previous exes, partly because at least one of them had died and partly because anything he says on the subject his boyfriend tends to feel like it’s his fault, not someone else’s. He feels like he needs to say something this time, though. “That’s not okay.”
         As expected, Xander shakes his head, quick to correct him. “No, it is.” But…wait, he’s strangely…cheerful? Happy? About it. Not guilty or—and is he blushing a little again? “Because I’ve got you now.”
         Leon’s thoughts disappear again, and by the point they start to form coherent sentences and panic about the fact that he hadn’t responded, he registers that yes, Redgrave had in fact giggled at his slack-jawed lack of a response, and that maybe he hadn’t actually needed to say any of the words out loud for Xander to hear them loud and clear.
         “I already showed you, you’re not the only one who can pull off a surprise,” he shrugs mock modestly, but already the increase in confidence is obvious by the way he carries himself, the fact that his voice is only quiet enough to avoid carrying, rather than from being shy, the fact that his smile has grown, just a little. “And maybe I’m not incapable of learning new tricks.”
         Leon nods decisively, reminding himself to breathe. The glance at Xander’s hand might be terribly obvious, but eh, they can hold hands later, too. “So, with this all being so last minute, did you get much of a briefing?”
         His boyfriend winces a little, but he’s trying to fit in a little more, now, so he suppresses it. Probably. “Think they thought I could figure it out when I got here—which, I am good at improv, but still. Mind filling me in?”
         Leon starts quickly, though he’s undecided if he wants zombies to crash the party. Civilians in danger always sucks, yeah, but waiting for the enemy to make their move sucks too, and now that they’re actually dating and he’s not so confused he absolutely would not mind seeing Xander in action again—particularly in a suit—focus…