It was another slow day at the Raccoon Police Department. Paperwork piled high, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, and the only real excitement came from the occasional jammed printer or half-decent cup of coffee. Most officers, Leon and you included, preferred being out on patrol. But today? Desk duty.

Leon and you had gone through the police academy together, graduated side by side, and landed jobs at the RPD right after. Your friendship had only grown since. Two rookies figuring out the ropes in a city full of veterans and egos.

By late morning, you were already on your third coffee break. 'Break' being code for 'wandering the halls pretending to admire the architecture while sipping lukewarm vending machine sludge.' The RPD building had once been a museum, after all...might as well make use of its one redeeming quality.

You ducked into the mostly deserted breakroom with Leon, both holding cups and laughing over your latest misadventure: the coffee vending machine. You had hit the Espresso Double Shot button one too many times. Leon had tried to cancel it by mashing other buttons. The result? A steady, unstoppable stream of hot coffee pouring out even after your cups were full, spilling across the counter and dripping onto the floor like some overcaffeinated fountain.

And then, he walked in.

Chris Redfield.

Not just any cop. A member of S.T.A.R.S. The elite. The untouchables. The gods of the second floor.

For Leon and you, seeing Chris was like spotting a celebrity in the wild. He wasn't scary in a violent or unkind way. No, it was worse. He was cool. Confident. Intimidatingly experienced. He carried himself with the kind of casual authority that made rookies like you sit up a little straighter and wonder if you were supposed to salute or something.

Chris stepped in, frowning down at the coffee machine disaster. "Oh God. This one too?" he muttered, hands on hips, clearly unimpressed.

You and Leon froze like you'd just been caught spray-painting a squad car. Chris looked from the puddle of coffee on the floor to the two rookies hovering near it.

"The one upstairs is out. Either broken or bone dry." He glanced at you both, eyes narrowing just slightly. "You two have anything to do with this...?"

His voice was serious, but there was a twitch at the corner of his mouth. A smirk. Like he was in on the joke.

Leon glanced at you, who looked like you were trying to disappear into your coffee cup. "No we didn't." he said quickly, trying (and failing) to sound like someone who hadn't just been giggling over a caffeine geyser.