𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓚𝓮𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓭𝔂| ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ 4

Flames of Attraction| Firefighter AU| Request

AN: I received a request asking for an AU where Leon became a firefighter instead of a cop. I imagined RE4R Leon in this one!

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Spending my Saturday nights alone weren't always as bad as they seemed, tonight I decided to treat myself to a solo cinema date, watching the newest blockbuster release with plenty of snacks to indulge in whilst others sat around me. I sit in the dimly lit cinema, furthest from the screen and in the middle of the row. I try to immerse myself in the movie and action, but something feels off, as if my body already knows that something bad is going to happen. I brush it off, refocusing on the movie for a little while longer until all of a sudden distant screams echo around the auditorium. Nobody seems to think anything of it, maybe its some rowdy teenagers or people frightened from the newest horror movie. I look around in the darkness, nose sniffing seconds before the screech of the fire alarm disrupts the movie. People panic, racing over seats and past me in a flurry to escape, I'm panicking too, finding myself following the fire exit signs rather than just rushing to the general exit. 

Once I reach the stairs, other people seem to have the same idea as me. Throes of groups push past me in a desperate need to escape, I trip on the stairs, falling down and down until I land on my ankle. Nobody stops to help me, not when the smoke is thick here and the orange flames are beginning to be visible from upstairs. I feel tears prick my eyes as I try to stand, but my ankle gives way, so I resort to crawling across the floor. My heavy breaths echo around the stairwell, the feeling of isolation and helplessness fills me as tears trickle down my cheeks. "Help! Someone, help!" I try to call out, the air now thicker, the smoke chokes me until I can't speak. Above me the sound of the building collapsing strikes fear into my heart, I'm going to die here. 

"Is there anybody in here? Hello?" A masculine voice calls out from downstairs. My eyes widen as I force myself to crawl further, my nails scrape across the floor as I reach the top of the next set of stairs. 

"H-help!" I shout, coughing furiously as my lungs begin to burn. The edges of my vision blurs, fading rapidly as I slump, laying on the floor unable to do anything further. A set of heavy footsteps races up and up to me. I watch as a tall and large figure emerges from the smoke- a firefighter. I reach out, hand curling over nothing until he scoops me up, setting me over his shoulder like I've seen in movies. I just flop like a sack of potatoes, wheezing and crying as much as I'm able as he rushes downstairs, bursting through the golden doors of the cinema and into the night. The street is blocked off, numerous fire engines and ambulances surround the area, their sirens flashing in the darkness. My saviour carries me past the other emergency services who are all working to put out the fire and treat the people. He stops, pointing a finger at an older man dressed in some fancy clothes, presumably the manager of the cinema. 

"You said there wasn't anyone left in there!" My saviour angrily threatens, poking his finger harshly into his chest. The manager squeaks, holding out his hands as he coughs and shakes his head. 

"I didn't know! We didn't count the tickets tonight! W-will I get compensation for this?" The slimy man asks. My saviour growls, but I cough once more, letting out a sound of pain since everything aches, including my injured ankle. My saviour focuses his attention on me, mumbling an apology before jogging to the nearest ambulance. With a tenderness he sets me down on the bed inside, taking off his helmet and mask to reveal dirty blonde hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. My breath catches, but it only sends me into another coughing fit. The man helps me sit up, cursing lowly under his breath as he calls for some medics to hurry up. I grab his hand as he heads to leave, my eyes shining with fresh tears. 

"Don't leave me." I whisper. His eyes widen in surprise but then he nods, clutching my hand in his own as his other reaches up to cup my cheek, his thumb wipes away the tears before he pulls back and rummages through the medics' bags, finding wipes to clean my face. With a gentleness I've never experienced he carefully cleans my face for me, wiping away the remnants of smoke and grime. I close my eyes, savouring the feeling of being cared for until the medics finally come and ask him to leave. With one last look at me, my mysterious protector exits the ambulance and walks away. I don't get his name as the doors close and I'm rushed to the hospital, thankfully with no major injuries, apart from a sprained ankle and smoke inhalation. 

Three Weeks Later

Since that night on September 30th I've been determined to thank my rescuer, I waited until I was feeling better and could walk again before beginning my mission of tracking him down to express my gratitude. I buy a 'thank you' card from the store that has a cheesy message in it, writing a small paragraph about how thankful I am for his help, then I also buy some fresh sweet pastries from the bakery. Exactly three weeks after that dreadful night I find myself standing in front of Raccoon City Fire Station. Nerves fill me as I hesitate, but then the voices of firefighters inside force my legs to get moving. There's a high chance my firefighter isn't here today, or that he doesn't work at this station, but I'll forever regret it if I don't find out. I walk into the station, only limping a little as I walk past the red fire trucks and equipment, my eyes soaking in everything until I finally reach the main room, where a group of muscled men are laughing and sitting on sofas. I swallow, clearing my throat as I blush. 

"Oh, sorry pretty lady, we didn't see you come in." One dark haired man grins, standing up as the others watch me with curiosity. I take in their faces, but none are the blue eyed saviour from that night. I smile, unsure what to say, so I just let the words tumble out. 

"I'm looking for a man." 

"Well you're in the right place sweetheart, any of us will do." Another man laughs, earning shared chuckles. I blush deeply, opening and closing my mouth, I begin to retort or give up until a hand on my shoulder from behind me startles me. I spin, coming face to face with my man. 

"It's you." I smile, relief flooding through me. His brows raise as his lips curve upwards, he nods and looks up at his fellow firefighters, smile falling for a second as he scolds them for being rude and unprofessional, then with that smile back on his face he reaches out a hand and sets in between my shoulder blades as he guides me out of the main room and into a smaller office. I take in his dark cargo pants and the navy blue tee stretching across his muscles, he's more handsome than I'd originally thought. I swallow once we reach the room, then he steps away from me, tilting his head as his eyes roam my body. 

"How have you been feeling, I imagine you didn't escape unscathed?" The man asks kindly. I lick my lips, shrugging up a shoulder as I reply. 

"I've been better, but I'm not dead so, yay." I nervously laugh, "Um, I actually wanted to give you these," I say as I hand him the card and pastries, "I know it's your job to save people, but I wanted to thank you anyway. If it wasn't for you I'd be dead, and I'm so grateful for your help, I really appreciate it and, yeah." I smile. The man's eyes twinkle as he bites back a grin and sets the box on the table, he opens the card and reads my writing, eyes flicking up to me every few seconds as if checking I'm still here. I stand there awkwardly, debating if I should leave or-

"You're more than welcome, I'm glad you're doing okay. I was going to try and find you a couple of weeks ago to check on you, but the hospital wouldn't give away your contact details." He says, running a hand through his hair as if annoyed by them. My heart warms at the thoughtfulness, we have a moment of staring at each other until the distant sounds of laughter pull us out of our trance. 

"Well that's really kind, I'm grateful. Really." I say, then in a moment of madness I pull out my phone and a pen, taking the card from him I write down my number, hoping I'm not making a fool of myself. "Now you've got my number, you know, if you want to talk or whatever." I blush once more, but luckily Leon just chuckles as he nods and takes the card from me once more. 

"I definetly do. Actually, do you want to grab dinner some time? It's fine if you don't want to-"

"I'd love to!" I cheerfully say, grinning as his eyes crinkle. We have another moment until out of the blue a loud siren fills the station. There's a fire that needs attending to. Leon sighs, giving me a look as we rush out of the office and into the wide open space. People race about, getting dressed and climbing into the fire truck, and Leon soon joins them, giving me one last wave before disappearing once more, but this time there's hope that I'll see him again.