Chapter 28: Unfinished Business

The walk after Leon's confession was nothing short of painful. Not physically, of course—though Erica did stub her toe on an inconveniently placed rock—but emotionally, mentally, and most importantly, socially.

Erica avoided looking at Leon. Leon avoided looking at Erica. Sydney and Sid, naturally, took great joy in this and spent most of the trek whispering to each other about how ridiculous it was.

At one point, Erica tripped over a branch, barely catching herself before face planting. Leon instinctively reached out. "Are you—?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, dusting herself off before he could finish the question.

A little while later, she tried to open a snack wrapper, only for it to explode in her hands, sending the contents flying to the dirt. She stared at the ground, utterly defeated. Without a word, Leon handed her his own snack.

"Take it," he muttered, not making eye contact.

She hesitated but grabbed it with an equally mumbled, "Thanks."

Sydney, who had been biting her tongue up until now, finally reached her limit. "Oh, for god's sake," she groaned, stopping in her tracks. "You two need to talk and make up already!"

Sid, always the reluctant voice of reason, nodded in shy agreement. "It's getting kind of… uncomfortable."

Leon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine." Without warning, he grabbed Erica's wrist and dragged her away from the twins until they were out of earshot.

He took a deep breath before blurting, "I will accept any punishment you give me, so please stop giving me the silent treatment."

Erica blinked at him, caught completely off guard. "Does it count as silent treatment if I just don't feel like talking to you?" she muttered, looking away.

Leon sighed again, more frustrated this time. "What do I have to do to make you care about me the way I care about you?"

Her head snapped up. "What does that mean?"

Before he could answer, a slow clap echoed through the trees. "Touching," a familiar, taunting voice drawled.

Victor Victoria emerged from the shadows, a knowing smirk on their face. "Didn't know you had it in you, Leon. That was quite the heartfelt confession."

Erica barely had time to register their presence before Leon, without hesitation, pulled out a handgun and shot them in the shoulder.

Victor Victoria stumbled back, clutching their wound. "What kind of opening attack was that?! Do you have no sense of pacing?! Too much too soon!"

Leon cocked the gun again. "I'm bored of you."

Sydney and Sid came running at the sound of the gunshot. One glance at the situation and they both sighed in unison. "What a shame." Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, they leapt into action.

Victor Victoria barely had time to regain their footing before Sydney was on them, her speed making up for her lack of stamina. She darted around them, baiting their attacks, forcing them into a rhythm before Sid crashed into them with sheer brute force.

"Predictable," Victor Victoria muttered, twisting at the last second so Sid's attack barely grazed them. They retaliated with a sharp kick, knocking him back, but Sydney was already there, slashing at their exposed side.

Leon was faster. He closed the distance, gun still in hand, aiming for another shot. But Victor Victoria, as much as they enjoyed theatrics, wasn't foolish. They grabbed Sydney and yanked her in front of them, using her as a shield. "You wouldn't shoot your own teammate, would you?"

Leon didn't even hesitate. He adjusted his aim and fired at Victor Victoria's exposed leg.

Victor Victoria cursed, releasing Sydney as they staggered back. "You are impossible."

Erica, who had been waiting for her moment, lunged in then, a dagger Sid had given her in hand. She slashed across their chest, not deep enough to kill but enough to hurt.

Victor Victoria barely caught themselves. Their usual arrogance flickered into something else—frustration, maybe even fear. "Fine. You win this round," they spat, stumbling backward. "But this isn't over."

They turned and fled, disappearing into the trees.

Silence settled over the group.

"Well," Sid finally said, out of breath. "That was… something."

Sydney nodded, stretching out her sore muscles. "Yeah. It was pretty anticlimactic compared to the beast fights…"

Erica glanced at Leon. He was still gripping his gun, jaw tight. She exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "You didn't hold back."

Leon scoffed. "I told you. I was bored." But there was something in his expression—something unspoken.

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. You were defending your honor."

Leon groaned. "You're unbearable."

Erica, despite herself, smirked. "She's not wrong."

Leon met her gaze, and for the first time since his confession, she didn't look away. The tension between them shifted—still present, still complicated, but different.

Victor Victoria was gone. Hopefully forever.