Disclaimer: Resident Evil and all related characters and materials are property of Capcom.

Aching
By: Nanaki BH

Leon hadn't thought to wear his scarf. Now that he realized just how cold it really was outside the facility, he was wishing he had worn it. Granted, it was a brown knit scarf that wouldn't have matched well with his black gear, but it would've benefited him regardless. Something about the report he had been handed gave him the impression that their mission would be short-lived; in and out business. There was no way he could've expected it to take them so impossibly long.

Nor had he thought they would be staying outside.

He watched jealously through his binoculars as the guards exchanged positions at the front doors. The new guy that came out had on a fuzzy hat that covered his ears – and a scarf. Leon cursed himself again silently for being so casual with their situation. The new guy also had a nice steaming cup of… something. He imagined it could've been coffee or cocoa or even soup. That just struck another inextinguishable fire of jealousy within him. Bringing a thermos would've potentially made him look like a little kid but it would've been so worth it.

"Shit," he muttered, breath foggy in the evening air. "How long are these guys going to be?"

His partner for the mission, Chris Redfield, shrugged. He knew him as Claire's brother; that one she had been so determined to find when he first met her in Raccoon City. Leon had very limited contact with him before the mission but understood that he was a relatively soft spoken guy. For the few hours they had already spent on the job together, Leon could tell that Chris only spoke when he had to.

Something about that made him mysterious, though. Even though the mission itself was as boring as fuck, Chris gave him something to wonder about. Somewhere beneath that mysterious persona was the brother Claire knew; the warm-hearted and friendly big brother.

But it wasn't like he was Leon's older brother. Leon never had a brother anyway so he didn't know what it was like. He imagined that if he did, his brother wouldn't be quite so cold.

Ironic, considering the snow. Maybe Chris was just cold after all. Leon certainly couldn't blame him.

Leon set down the binoculars for a moment and looked at his partner. Chris had been keeping his eye on a radar; they were expecting a helicopter or a small jet but they hadn't seen so much as a blip for hours. Those hours dragged on for forever and Leon could just tell that his fingers would fall off before the damn transport got there. This helicopter or whatever was to be supposedly carrying some hazardous materials. Whether or not they were in fact related to Umbrella was what they were there to find out.

When he looked over, Chris was trying to light himself a cigarette with shaky fingers but was failing miserably, his glove-covered thumb too thick to effectively spark a flame. Leon bit the end of one glove and yanked it off, grabbing the lighter from him to do it instead. After a few tries, the flame sprang to life, dancing from the end of the lighter. Chris gratefully leaned down to catch the end of his cigarette, the crumpled cig hanging loosely from between his cracked lips.

He took a long drag on it and mumbled his thanks. "You want one?" he asked, proffering the pack in Leon's direction.

Leon graciously turned it down, though the thought of the warm smoke was tempting. "I don't smoke."

Chris settled down in the snow and adjusted his earpiece absently. "I told Claire I quit," he said, trying to distract himself with the radar. "I feel kind of bad."

"Did you try?"

"Quitting? Yeah, I tried sort of." That 'sort of' sounded just thrown in, like a last ditch attempt at being honest. He looked down at the cigarette, looking more and more displeased with it. If Leon wasn't determined to uphold his own morals, he would've taken it and finished it for him instead. "If these things don't kill me, the stress will. Or this goddamn cold."

"Oh yeah? I'm the idiot who didn't bring a scarf." At least Chris had the foresight to do that much. Of the few first impressions Leon had of Chris, he'd gathered that he was a well-prepared person.

Also of those first impressions, Leon made note of how incredibly handsome he was. He's Claire's brother, for Christ's sake, he tried to tell himself, but couldn't deny that he was attracted to him more than he was to his little sister. As sweet and charming as she was, she didn't strike him quite as much as Chris did. Strong capable men seemed to be the kind who could really sweep him off his feet.

On the way up to their post (snow mound, more like), Chris hadn't been particularly chatty. They talked about some events they'd been to recently though, and Leon had to bite his tongue to save himself from talking about that great gay bar he'd been to a few days prior. Sexual frustration didn't belong on a mission, especially one of such great importance, but it would kill him if he didn't find out whether or not Chris had some interest in men. Aside from coming straight out and saying it, what could he do, though?

"Yeah, so how often do you frequent the clubs?"Smooth, Kennedy. Way to really get a guy... He'd probably go and punch you in the face for something like that.

"So, Redfield," he started, trying to remain nonchalant, "you got a girlfriend?"

Chris stared down blankly at the small monitor. "Nah. It's probably better if I don't get involved with women."

Why's he being so unspecific! Leon ground his teeth and looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, wishing he could've made asking him a little bit easier. He could've just been imagining things, but such an unspecific answer could've meant exactly what he was hoping, though.

"Despite how good-looking I am, I'm not one for the ladies myself." For a while, he would drop it and see how things would go. "You know, I'm getting kind of hungry here. I didn't think we'd be here this long."

"Me neither," Chris admitted. His words sounded forced. Leon faced him and inspected him silently.

Leon decided to keep an eye on him. The way Chris' voice shook had him concerned. After a while, he picked the binoculars back up and tried to concentrate on the guards again. Their position on the drift was nearly fifty feet away. The high winds and flurries kept them sufficiently hidden from the guards' view but also kept them nice and chilly. Leon could live without the soup (as nice as it sounded) but Chris didn't seem to be fairing so well, like he was already sick or something.

He kept rubbing his eyes, dragging a hand across his face – to keep himself awake, it seemed. The guards weren't doing jack shit. They couldn't hear what the guards were talking about and they weren't stealth so it wasn't like they would ever find out anyway. They could be standing around over there for the whole night and no real significant progress would be made. Leon decided to take things into his own hands.

He leaned over and grabbed the portable radar from Chris, dragging its bulky metal frame over in front of himself. Chris had been letting snow collect on the screen, further proving that he wasn't paying as much attention anymore. He brushed it off and already Chris was protesting.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Your job." Then he realized how insensitive that sounded after he'd said it. "Sorry. I mean to be doing you a favor. You don't look too hot." Leon hated all the puns he could make out of their situation, especially since it wasn't very funny. Chris looked seriously unwell. His cheeks were paling, his skin adopting a bluish hue. Leon ungloved his hand again and placed his palm against Chris' cheek, staring into his eyes. They were clouded and foggy, staring at Leon but not really looking at him; unfocused and dazed.

"I know how to do my job."

"And I know how to do your job, too. It's not that hard to watch a screen. Just try to warm yourself up."

Chris grumbled something unintelligible and backed away. Leon began the inconvenient task of managing the guards and the radar at the same time. The guards could handle themselves until the transport came, apparently. They seemed more concerned with their gossip and ramen noodles. Leon focused his attention then on the screen of the radar; still nothing. Thankfully, there wasn't any static. He worried about how well a piece of usually delicate equipment could hold up in the freezing subzero winds and snow but assumed that whoever made them knew what they were doing. But how well would it work in the snow?

"Do you really think we're going to see anything on here?" he asked Chris. A few seconds ticked by with his question unanswered and he turned around. Annoyed, he was about to raise his voice some when he noticed Chris, facedown in the snow. "Idiot!" he shouted, sure that the guards wouldn't hear him and unconcerned even if they could. "I told you to warm yourself up!"

Leon turned him over and listened carefully; his breathing was shallow and labored, his skin having taken on a sure blue tint. "I'm fine," he growled, trying to shove him away, still making no effort to keep himself warm. His movements were clumsy and languid though and served to hardly keep Leon off of him.

Just when Leon had started considering how terribly cold it was getting, something bad had to go and happen, like he jinxed it.

"Like hell you are." It sounded a hell of a lot like stage two of hypothermia. Leon didn't have any personal experience with hypothermia victims but he'd watched enough T.V. to know what it looked like. Without anything to keep them warm, Chris would be in some serious trouble. From the little he knew about it, he knew that he shouldn't try to personally warm him himself. "We're pulling out of here. You're more important than some lazy-ass helicopter pilot. If those ass-hats can switch off, then so can we."

He grabbed him under his arms, palms flat against his shoulder blades, and hoisted him up. Chris was heavy but nothing Leon couldn't handle. It was a distant walk to their vehicle though and he didn't have an extra arm to carry back their equipment. Chris couldn't wait in his condition, though. Radars were replaced easily enough. A person's life wasn't.

As gently as he could, Leon dragged him to the vehicle, Chris' boots creating deep trenches though the snow behind them.

Author's Notes: Resident Evil basically has no yaoi and that really disappoints me. I really love these two guys and we never get to see any action! Expect to see more chapters. Feedback is greatly appreciated.