Chapter Text
A stack of papers sit neatly on a metal desk, organized alphabetically, with every slip of paper specifically aligned so not a single one is out of place. Each paper is stapled to the same corner, and every document is faced up against the others. A very specific system— your system.
You had worked for the Division of Security Operations for nearly five months as nothing more than an intern file clerk. An easy job with easy pay, just organize and file reports that agents turned in. It was a glorified secretary job at some points— being tasked to answer the phone or sometimes even fetch coffee for officers, but you couldn’t be bothered to care. The job took care of you and that was what mattered.
Your fingers worked against the keyboard as your free hand held a document that your eyes scanned over about four times. The file number then the officer's name, then the designated address, and then the comments the agent had left on said document.
You put the document on an opposing stack: the finished stack that you would have to shred at the end of the day like clockwork. A very specific routine that you upheld to the ‘T’. You were just an intern and that was perfect for you.
Your thoughts snapped however at the call of your name, quickly spinning around on your wheeled chair with your hand gripping a new document to input into your system.
“May I see you in my office?” The velvet voice of your supervisor called out, her head peaking from the glass door of her office directly at you with an inviting smile.
You stood quickly, not allowing a chance for her to repeat her request, immediately grabbing the stack of finished sheets. You were sure she would probably ask for a progress report or probably send you on an afternoon coffee run for the office, but you held the same curious look on your face as if it had been your first day all over again.
The papers were clutched to your buttoned blouse as you walked over, sneakers making echoed footsteps that overshadowed the constant clicking sounds of keyboards.
You slipped through the cracked-open door and quickly shut it behind you and turned to face your supervisor, back straightened and eyes focused on the woman before you.
“You wanted to see me, Hunnigan?” Your voice was soft spoken, curiosity lingering in your words.
“Thank you for coming,” your supervisor, Hunnigan, spoke moving to take a seat at her desk. Her have gestured to the seat before her and with haste you sat, still clutching the papers close to you as if they would run away at any given moment.
“I want to start by expressing my gratitude to you and your hard work,” she complimented, a smile on her face at your sheepishly growing smile, “even as an intern, I mean, you are one of my top performers in my branch.”
Your heart beat rapidly, a smile extending without much thought. You felt heat rushing to your cheeks, quickly letting out a ‘thank you’ and showing your supervisor to continue.
“And due to your hard work, I want to offer you an opportunity to work one-on-one with one of DSO’s top officers,” she announced, your eyes widening immediately, “meaning you will be specifically looking over and filling reports alongside your assigned agent as well as handling any other tasks they assign you.”
Your eyes perked up, body shuffling forward thoughtlessly.
“Yes! Yes, I-I would love to!”
Hunnigan grinned at you, letting out a soft chuckle at your enthusiasm.
“Well, I’m glad to hear how excited you are,” she replied, hands moving to open a drawer and dig into it, “it definitely would’ve been difficult to find a worthy replacement for this job.”
Her compliments made your skin burn, looking down sheepishly now like a student being praised by her teacher.
“In this envelope,” the woman placed a white envelope on her desk and slid it towards you, “you’ll find everything you will need to find your new assigned position. There is also a new I.D card with extended access as well.”
The envelope had a big red ‘confidential’ print stamped across it and underneath was your name in bold letters, almost as if it was congratulating your step up in importance to the company.
You wasted no time in placing the stack of papers on your lap and lifting the envelope in your palms, feeling the shift in weight to what you had been previously holding.
“You’ll begin tomorrow, you should receive an email with your new weekly schedule.”
Your fingers traced the new badge that wrapped around your neck. It was simple, but also different than the one you first had. Instead of the bold printed ‘intern’ like your last, this one had nothing more than your name, photograph, and your badge number. It felt like leagues ahead of what you were doing just the other day.
Your hand scanned the double doors ahead of you, quickly scurrying through the halls until you reached the final pair of double doors. They were different in design; a large, bold ‘04’ to signify what division lay ahead of you— intimidating you.
You scanned your card once again, watching as the doors slowly opened to present you with a similar sight to your old division. Several desks lined up with employees typing away, no one bothering to look up at the new entry into their facility.
You scanned around, hoping to find someone who looked a little less busy to navigate you to your assigned desk until you heard a soft call of your name.
You turned swiftly to a young-looking woman with a pixie cut staring at you with a small, welcoming smile. At her ear sat a headset and in her hands was a stack of folders sprawled in different directions.
“Y-Yeah, that’s me.”
Her smile widened a smidge as she gave you a nod.
“Perfect timing! It’s so wonderful to meet you!” She exclaimed, arms adjusting to hold the stack in her arms.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” you responded, allowing the woman to pass by you slightly with her body still facing towards you.
“You can follow me, I’ll take you to your new station,” she explained, “My name is Sherry by the way.”
You repeated the name softly to yourself in an attempt to keep it in mind, following after her as she walked off. She seemed a lot more cheerful than the people in your old office and she carried herself with a soft confidence that almost made you jealous.
Sherry made her way to the back of the office to a desk that sat slightly beside a different room with a glossy exterior that showed your reflection. It was dark, only what you could assume was a one-way mirror.
You took in your appearance at the sight of the mirror. Your clothes were slightly wrinkled and your hair was a little tussled from how hurriedly you had gotten to the office.
“This will be your desk,” Sherry interrupted your thoughts and gestured to the table. It was slightly bigger than your old one, which made sense considering the work you would be doing. “We have a coffee machine down by the doors where our break room is, and my desk is also near there if you need anything. I’m barely there unless I need to do my field paperwork.”
You nodded along with her words as she finished explaining the job description and office layout to you.
“—and that is Leon’s office,” she turned around to point to the reflected walls behind you both, “you’ll also be given a list of contacts in case you need them for anything.”
You nodded once more and let out a soft ‘thank you’ to Sherry, looking back at the wall behind you. You wondered what sat inside it for it to be so private. Surely confidential files and whatnot, but the idea of something more made the hairs on your arm stand softly.
“Anyways, I’m sure Leon is probably waiting to meet with you to discuss your assignments.”
“Sorry?” The words left your lips suddenly as you looked back at Sherry. You had been under the assumption that you would be working for her: After all, she was a field agent and she was currently holding a stack of folders towards your direction.
Sherry gave a lifted brow.
“Did they not tell you? You’re assigned to Leon S. Kennedy for the next couple of months.”
Your eyes widened. It suddenly hit you. You had heard the name before in rumors and gossip on the second floor. You didn’t know who he was and you never expected to meet him— but you had heard about all of the things he had accomplished over the years from people in the cafeteria.
“Don’t be nervous. He’s a good guy, I’m sure you’ll do great,” Sherry reassured, offering you a soft smile, “you should head in though, don’t wanna keep him waiting.”
You watched Sherry walk off towards her desk, hands shaking anxiously and a suspicious lump in your throat growing. You were being assigned to one of DSO’s founding members, the biggest agent in the company. He could singlehandedly further your career— or worse, ruin it.
You pushed the looming thoughts far from your brain and turned towards the office, walking towards the door with your fist balled up softly against it. You knocked softly— once and then twice until you heard a whirring sound of a lock and a beep telling you to come in.
You opened the door, gulping as you walked in, and gulping once more when your eyes landed on him.
He was handsome, just like everyone had said. His hair was greying but the suit he wore was tight against his muscles. He held a tired expression and his body leaned against the back of his chair which dipped backwards slightly.
“You must be the intern,” he stated. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. As if he could tell by your awkward frame and darting eyes.
“Y-Yes,” you spoke up, cleaning your throat at the embarrassing stutter that escaped your lips.
Leon nodded, leaning forward with the sound of his chair creaking at the shift of his weight. His hands moved to pull at his tie, loosening it slightly to relieve his discomfort.
“There isn’t much for you to do if I’m being honest,” he explained, eyes bearing into you, “I don’t know why they decided to assign you to me.”
“Well, I-I was told that I would be doing paperwork? For you?”
He huffed, hand moving to sit flatly on his desk while his nails tapped against it. You couldn’t tell what he was feeling by his demeanor. Irritation? Confusion? It was a mystery to you.
“Right, my field work,” he mumbled, letting out a sigh, “well, I guess you’ll start there. Everything you need will be on the computer, you should have access to the archive room as well.”
You nodded along, adjusting your stance at the front of his door awkwardly as he spoke.
“If for any reason you need anything my email should be in your contact list on the computer as well as Sherry’s. She’s better with the paperwork stuff than I am.”
You nodded again, watching as his hand moved from his desk to his chin. He rubbed his stubble softly, signifying that he was thinking about what to say next or, more so, what he needed to say next.
“That’s about it, I guess,” he mumbled, leaning back into his chair once again.
For someone who seemed so tired, he seemed to be unable to stay still.
“You should be good to go then,” Leon ended, humming softly to himself, watching as you gave a strict nod before wrapping your hands against the handle to leave, but your efforts were cut off.
“One more thing,” his voice cut through the air and you turned to face him. This time he had a small smirk on his face as he looked at you.
“Welcome to the team.”