Cleon

"They were parted by an inescapable destiny. This is just the beginning of their worst nightmare."

- Resident Evil 2.

Cleon is the het ship between Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil fandom.

Claire A/Leon B
Claire arrives in Raccoon on a motorcycle and, when stopping to ask for information, is surprised to find the bloody owner of Emmy's, eating a person behind the counter.

Intimidated by the zombie who has now noticed her, she tries to calm him down and retreat to escape, but discovers that there are more of them outside, trying to insanely attack her through the window and her only alternative is to go out the back door.

Meanwhile, Leon arrives in the city late for his first day as a rookie cop, and stop his car to investigate a body lying on the street on his way, but as he approaches he is surprised by zombies coming from everywhere.

Without knowing what is happening, he points his gun to intimidate them but, when the dead corpse from the street wakes up to try to bite him, he decides to start shooting, keep distance and retreat to the alley behind him.

A door suddenly opens and he doesn't hesitate to point his gun directly at Claire, who was running from her own enemy inside. Taken by surprise, she yells at him not to shoot, but Leon orders her to get down, so he shot that one in the head to save her life.

He helps her to get up and says it must be safer at the police station, so they run together through the streets to escape, which is easier when Leon spots a police car parked nearby.

In the car, Claire tries to understand what's going on while Leon tries to tune in to the radio for help, with no answer. They introduce themselves, he says it's his first day at the job and she says she has to find her brother.

After turning at an intersection, Claire finds a gun in the glove compartment and Leon tells Claire to take it.

That's when a zombie, unnoticed in the backseat, wakes up and tries to bite Leon's shoulder, who, due to the attack, ends up losing control and hitting the car against a wall - the enemy was thrown through the windshield.

Leon asks if Claire is okay and she has energy enough to be sarcastic, but they don't have time for any further comment, as a unbridled truck was coming towards them.

They come out each on one side of the car at the exact moment of the impact, which is followed by a big explosion that ends up separating them by the fire. Leon and Claire shout at each other and as soon as they are sure that they are okay, they agree to meet at the RPD.

Arriving at the police station, they would soon realize the place is also infested with zombies, other creatures and even more dangers.

Exploring in one of the upstairs halls, Claire sees a little girl being chased by a zombie and tries to follow her. Leon, who has just deal with the monsters around, comes across the girl, who immediately mistakes him for a zombie because of the police uniform and escapes through a hole in the bottom of a sealed door.

As he is unable to follow her that way, he comes back down the hall and finds Claire, also looking for her.

They are happy to see each other again and Claire decides to keep looking for the girl while Leon looks for a way to escape the city. He hands her a radio so they can keep in touch if they need help.

Although, Leon and Claire don't see each other until the end of the game, they still talk on the radio whenever something important happens. Leon is extremely worried when Claire calls him and says she is leaving the RPD and talks about the passage in the sewers. And Claire also thinks about him when she got access to the police arsenal and leaving valuable resources behind for Leon to pick up later.

As they continue their separate ways, Claire tries to find a vaccine for Sherry that was infected in the sewers by the monster that Willian Birkin - her father - has become and Leon trying to find out what happened to the city, both end up in Umbrella's underground laboratory.

After accidentally activating the self-destruct system in the fight against Mr. X in the power room, Leon receives a radio call from Claire, who saw Leon entering the laboratory through one of the surveillance monitors and contacts him to ask to get Sherry out of the lab.

Claire is counting on him and Leon ran to find the little girl in the security office room and carries her through the emergency elevator until he finds a deactivate train, their escape ride.

While Leon works to turn the power on to the train and fights for the last time with Mr. X, Claire follows the instructions to create the vaccine and has her last battle with Willian.

With time running fast, Leon starts the train just in time to see Claire go through the door. He waves to her and she runs towards him, but with everything collapsing around, they can't reach each other in time before the train enters the tunnel. Claire still manages to enter the next open car.

Leon and Claire look at each other with relief when she arrives at the car where he and Sherry are, but there is no time to say anything. The turbulence begins and hurls them to the ground, Leon uses his body to protect Sherry and they stay down waiting for the tremors to stop.

Leon realizes that Sherry is unconscious due to the infection and Claire gives her the antidote. They both wait with anticipation and concern until the girl wakes up again.

With everything seemingly over and they could breathe easy now, but Claire still needs to find her brother and Leon knew that this fight was just the beginning.

Claire and Sherry hug and Leon go to be alone in the control room.

But suddenly, new tremors reveal that the train is under attack again. Leon went to check and discovered Willian Birkin's latest form taking over.

Leon attacks him with everything he has and the self-destruct system is activated due to biohazard, automatically closing all doors and locking Leon out and Claire and Sherry inside. They see each other through the glass door, desperate and not knowing what to do.

With Willian getting bigger and bigger and consuming everything in his path, Claire call for Leon desperate when the monster breaks through the door where he should be.

He climbs on the roof of the train to escape and reach the control panel, Sherry uses the ventilation hole to get to the control panel and Claire grabs under the train to avoid being eaten by the creature.

The little girl doesn't know which button to press to stop the train, but Leon open the roof hatch just in time to points to the right one.

The train finally stops and Leon and Sherry get off together, but they don't see Claire anywhere. He call for her, terribly worried, as soon as she appears on the other side.

They three reunite while the monster takes over the train completely and they have to run as far as possible before a big explosion hits and ends with William Birkin once and for all.

It is a new dawn and they are sitting next to the tracks, tired, but happy to be safe and that everything ended well. Leon suddenly gets up saying that they need to go, no time to waste, because it is up to them to end with Umbrella.

Memories of a Lost City
This scenario re-tells the events of Resident Evil 2, where Claire and Leon have just arrived in Raccoon City when they learn that the city has been infested with zombies and other monsters. Working together side by side for almost the entire journey, hoping to find answers and discover Umbrella's involvement in the ordeal, these two share bonding experiences while surviving no matter the odds.

Claire A/Leon B
Claire stops at a gas station to use a payphone when she hears noise coming from the inside of the station. Upon investigating, she discovers the undead inside and becomes overwhelmed with zombies coming at her. A man bursts through the front door, aiming a gun at her. Claire tells him not to shoot, and he tells her to get down, shooting a closing-in zombie from behind her. The man asks if she’s alright and Claire tells him yes, before thanking him. As more zombies shuffle toward them, the man takes notice of a police car parked out front and the two run for the vehicle, speeding off. Claire questions what’s going on and he tells her that helpfully there’ll be answers at the police station, to which Claire asks if he’s cop. He says he is, before giving his name, Leon Kennedy, following with who she is; Claire tells him her name. After an awkward pause, Leon asks if Claire lives around here, to which Claire tells him no; she’s there looking for her brother, Chris Redfield. She follows this up with telling him that her brother is also a cop. Leon tells her, “Well, it’s a good thing we found each other.”

Leon and Claire make for the Raccoon City Police station when they reach a roadblock. Zombies begin attacking the police cruiser and Claire suggests that Leon backup when they notice an out of control semi-truck heading straight for them. With zombies pounding on the doors, Leon tells her to hold on as the truck hits, sliding into their car and lighting on fire. The impact sends Leon and Claire on opposite sides, with a leaking fuel exposition separating them. Leon immediately yells for Claire, asking if she’s okay. She tells him she’s alright when Leon realizes he’s not safe where he is. He voices this to her and Claire tells him to go, that she’ll meet him at the station. In Leon B, Leon confirms that he’ll be there too. As Leon enters the police station’s side gate, he comments to himself, “Claire… I hope you made it here.”

Inside the station, Claire meets Lieutenant Marvin Branagh, Leon’s superior, who calls her down, showing her surveillance video of Leon arriving to the courtyard gate. Claire heads for Leon, though upon a investigating a crashed helicopter that happened seconds prior she’s distracted. Leon yells for her, only when he calls out her name does she turn around and the two exchange relieved smiles upon seeing each other. Claire makes her way down the stairs as Leon kicks at the locked gate separating the two. Claire jokes, ''“Leon! We really gotta stop meeting like this.”'' She then tells him it’s “good to see your face.” The crashed helicopter explodes over them and Claire notices zombies begin to shuffle from behind Leon. She tells him he “should get going,” before seeing them pushing harshly against the fence, she tells him, ''“No, Leon, seriously they’re getting through the fence. Please, just go!” Leon leaves, not before telling Claire, “We’re gonna make it. Both of us.”''

Leon and Claire don’t see each other for a long while that night, until the underground Umbrella facility they’re in is in self-destruct, following the G-virus getting out. As Claire is attempting to get a train moving, Leon appears on a video feed telling Claire she needs to get out of there. Claire tells him that she thinks all of them: him, her and Sherry Birkin, a young girl Claire saved, can make it and asks where he is. Their video feed keeps breaking up and Leon insists that Claire not worry about him, just for her to get out of there. Claire makes more desperate attempts to reach Leon, though to no avail.

Claire and Sherry are on the train and heading for the exit. As the train is descending, another attaches to it. With the train in full motion, the carriage door slides open to reveal Leon running though. Leon exclaims Claire’s name, and in return so does Claire with Leon’s name, with a wide smile, also telling him, “It’s so good to see you!” Leon tells her, “I told you we’d make it, didn’t I?” Claire’s voice softens and replies, “You did.” The back train car is attacked by the level 4 mutated William Birkin, have mutated again after Claire fought him previously that night. Leon goes to handle it, telling Claire to stay back to protect Sherry. As Leon is fighting William, Claire tells him they need to break off from the train car; as Claire does she grabs Leon’s hand, leaving William to burn in a massive explosion.

By morning, they’re walking away from the city when Sherry asks if Leon and Claire are “like boyfriend and girlfriend,” to which Leon tells her no, that him and Claire had actually just met that night. Claire teases, “Yeah… that would’ve been one helluva first date, though.” Sherry points out a semi-truck coming their way, and think they might be able to give them a ride. Leon tells Claire to get Sherry out of there while he waits for the truck to come closer. The man in the truck flips Leon off as he drives past. With the potential danger out of the way, Claire and Sherry come back to Leon’s side. Leon reaches for Sherry’s left hand and Claire reaches for Sherry’s right; the three of them walk hand-in-hand, continuing down the road when Sherry happily proclaims Leon and Claire “can adopt her” and that they can get a puppy and parrot.

Resident Evil: Degeneration
The story begins with Claire arriving in the city of Harvardville to participate in the Terra-Save protests against the new pharmaceutical company WilPharma and the Senator Ron Davis, when a new zombie outbreak occurs at the airport and the entire perimeter is blocked to prevent the infection from spreading.

Claire and other survivors managed to protect themselves, locking in the VIP lounge and call for help and Leon is the special agent sent by the government to rescue them and the Senator.

While waiting, the survivors hear a scream outside the room and Claire decides to go out and save whoever it was, only to be surprised by a flashlight and the classic "get down" line when Leon show up to kill the surrounding zombies. Both are surprised to find each other in this situation, but he helps her to get up and they hold hands for a few more seconds until the rest of the rescue team approaches.

The Senator, not satisfied with the team sent to rescue them, criticizes Leon and his plan to escape through the lobby and Claire tries to show some support for the idea, saying that the zombies are slow and easy to dodge, but the Senator turns against her as well and Leon defends her by describing how she was prepared for the situation thanks to her previous experiences with zombies outbreaks.

While in high ground of the wing of the collapsed plane in the lobby, the agents fired to clear the path full of zombie and the Senator runs to the exit, abandoning the others behind and knocking Rani, a little girl, into the middle of the zombies. Claire impulsively jumps to save her, even though she is unarmed and Leon – seeing what happened – tries to shoot the enemies, but a zombie jumps on him, pinning him to the ground. After a few seconds of tension and indecision on how to help her while dealing with his own danger, Leon ends up throwing his weapon to her which Claire takes it with good reflex and kills all the zombies around her. When all enemies are defeated, Leon looks worried about her, but Claire has her full attention for the child she protected.

As she climbed back to the others, another agent took Rani and Leon held Claire's hand to help her up and they looked at each other for a few seconds before Rani came to hug her and Claire gave the gun back to the agent with a smile.

In a safe place, finally outside of the airport, Rani was crying for not reunite with her aunt outside the quarantine and the Senator makes a comment about not stand kids which made Claire furious enough to slap him in the face, blaming him for the trauma Rani went through that night, Leon watches everything quietly while she goes to comfort the little girl.

After being vaccinated, Claire is taken by surprise to discover that Wilpharma was responsible for producing the vaccine to control the recent infection, but Leon confirms the collaboration between the government and the company to prevent further outbreaks and the Senator and the head researcher, Frederic Downing, blame her and the protests of Terra-Save for having slowed the process of approving the use of the medicament, which facilitated the death of agents in this rescue mission.

Claire isolates herself in one of the medical tents, feeling guilty that Terra-Save made things worse and Leon goes after her to reminding her that the real villains were the one who created and now the one who used the virus, how their lives changed forever because of Umbrella and promising her that he would wipe out this virus from the face of the earth. He soothed her by saying that she was not wrong in choosing the path to be a rescuer - something he couldn't be - and Claire was touched as she thanked him for his support.

While Leon goes to investigate a suspect with another agent, Frederic invited Claire to the WilPharma base in the city, as a peace offering, and during the tour she learns that they had bought the G-virus on the black market to make a vaccine and that Senator Davis was one of those responsible for the decision to exterminate Raccoon City in 1998. She decides to call Leon to alert him, but the conversation is interrupted when a bomb explodes in the building, leaving Claire unconscious and the agent uneasily worried for the call was abruptly cut.

Leon wanders through the quiet halls of what remains of the ruined building until he finds Claire hobbling and, when he realizes that she has a serious injury in the leg, he hurries to try to carry her out, but Claire interrupts him by warning about the enemy and making him focus on the biohazard situation that was about to happen. With Leon supporting Claire while walked, they take the elevator and the agent kills all the zombies when the door opens,  giving her a gun and explaining the way to the exit.

Before taking separate paths, Leon asks Claire to try not to get killed and she winks at him wishing the same as the elevator door closes again. He clicks button, shaking his head with a sigh. But instead of going to the exit, Claire managed to go to the center control room, help Leon remotely in the battle somehow and discover that the fight was being recorded all time.

After learn that Frederic was the real responsible, manipulating everyone and using the recordings to sell the virus and vaccine to the terrorists, Leon and Claire surprise him at the meeting point pretending to be the contact he wait to escape, but was actually an ambush with the collaboration of the local authorities.

In the morning, after everything has been resolved and they were getting ready to go, Leon asks if Claire wants a helicopter ride, but she refuses saying already have a car – with Rani and her aunt – waiting for her. Then Leon says he hopes that the next time they meet, it will be in some place a little more normal, which Claire definitely agrees.

They say goodbye, he goes to the helicopter and Claire sees him leave with a soft smile, then go on her own way.

Claire A/Leon B

 * Leon saved Claire from a zombie that was chasing her.
 * Leon asked if she was okay after the car accident.
 * Claire cried out concerned for Leon after the explosion that separated them.
 * Leon and Claire are happy to meet each other in the RPD.
 * Leon hands Claire a radio so they can keep in touch.
 * Claire thinks about leaving items behind in the arsenal, so Leon can take it later.
 * Leon is worried about Claire leaving the city through the sewers.
 * Claire says that she is counting on Leon to save Sherry.
 * Leon worries about Claire still being in the lab while the self-destruct system is activated.
 * Leon holds out his hand for Claire to get on the train and she runs to him, but can't make it in time.
 * Claire and Leon looked at each other for a moment after she got into the train.
 * Leon and Claire looked at each other through the glass window of the door, trying desperately to open it, when the system automatically locked it.
 * Claire cried out concerned for Leon when Willian Birkin destroys the train car he was on.
 * Leon cried out concerned about Claire when he gets off the train and doesn't see her anywhere.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

 * Leon sees Claire fighting and runs to kill the zombies around her.
 * Claire threw her knife to hit a zombie that sneaked Leon from behind, which impressed him.
 * Leon soothed Claire about still having survivors in the city.
 * Leon killed zombies around Claire, giving cover while she was unconscious by an explosion.
 * Claire killed zombies around Leon, giving cover while he was unconscious by an explosion.
 * Leon doesn't want split up to explore the police station. For him, it's better if they stick together.
 * Claire cried out in concern after Leon fell off the platform into the sewers.
 * Claire was worried after find Leon and realizing he was shot in the shoulder.
 * Leon, worried after Claire fell off the platform, ran to see if she was okay and ended up being vulnerable to the enemy attack.
 * Leon feels relieved to see that Claire is fine, after she fell off the platform.
 * Claire is concerned about Leon and his grief and wants to give him space, but he doesn't want to let her go alone because it is dangerous.
 * When Leon and Claire realize that Annette was dying, their eyes meet with sadness.

Claire A/Leon B

 * Leon saved Claire's life by shooting a zombie that sneaked up behind her.
 * Claire pleads with Leon to leave right away as she sees zombies begin to shuffle from behind him.
 * In the police station, Claire leaves a note for Leon telling him not to worry about her and to warn him of the dangers within the station.
 * In the sewers, Claire leaves a note for Leon telling him that she’s taking a “little detour,” though for him not to worry about her.
 * Leon begs Claire to leave him behind, as he thinks he won't be able to escape the lab in time.

Resident Evil: Degeneration

 * While being attacked, Leon throws his gun to Claire who is surrounded by zombies so she can defend herself.
 * Leon helps Claire up.
 * Claire gives Leon back his gun.
 * Leon soothes Claire by saying she was not wrong to choose to be a rescuer, not a fighter like him.
 * With their mission pulling them in separate directions, Leon asked Claire to try not to get killed and Claire winked at him saying ditto.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)
"I’m okay! Head to the station I’ll meet you there."

- Leon to Claire, moments after the big explosion.

"Good to see your still among the living."

- Leon to Claire, upon meeting again at the police station.

"Of course, but before I forget here's a radio. That way we can keep in touch if something comes up."

- Leon to Claire, as they decide to separate to explore the RPD.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
"They got the hots for you, huh?"

- Leon to Claire, Memories of a Lost City.

"It's too dangerous. I'll go with you."

- Leon to Claire, Memories of a Lost City.

"I've got to contact Leon. He'll come for us."

- Claire to Steve, Game of Oblivion.

Resident Evil 2 (2019)
"Well, it’s a good thing we found each other."

- Leon to Claire, Resident Evil 2.

"Claire… I hope you made it here."

- Leon, upon arriving to the police station, Resident Evil 2.

"Leon... I'm sure you beat me here."

- Claire, upon arriving to the police station, Resident Evil 2.

Miscellaneous Quotes
"Claire let herself be pulled up, grip-ping his hand tightly, taking small comfort in the fact that his fingers were as feverish and shaky as hers."

- Resident Evil City Of The Dead novel.

"The girl’s lilting but somehow sarcastic tone snapped him out of his panicked musings. He shot a look in her direction, noting that while she looked pale, she didn’t seem to be quivering on the edge of a break-down. There was even a trace of humor in her clear gray eyes, and Leon got a sudden strong impression that she wasn’t the breakdown type. A very good thing, considering the circumstances"

- Resident Evil City Of The Dead novel.

"Claire was... she was an incredible woman."

- Leon’s thoughts, Resident Evil Underworld novel.

"In any case, the feelings he had for her now were convoluted ones - warmth, connection, dependence, respect, others that he had no name for. And that scared him, because he'd never felt so strongly about anyone before and because he wasn't sure how much of it was real and how much was just some kind of a post-traumatic stress thing."

- Leon’s thoughts, Resident Evil Underworld novel.

"You up for this? he asked softly, and Claire smiled inwardly, thinking of how sweet he was; she'd been thinking of asking him the same thing. In the days since Raccoon, they'd gotten pretty close - and although she wasn't positive, she'd picked up on a few signals that suggested he wouldn't mind getting closer."

- Claire’s thoughts, Resident Evil Underworld novel.

"With David and John supporting young Rebecca, and Leon and Claire smiling at one another like lovers, the five weary soldiers trudged off the screen and out into the gently blossoming Utah morning."

- Resident Evil Underworld novel.

"I'll bring her back, Chris said, softening his tone, looking at Leon. Leon hesitated, then nodded, high color burning in his cheeks, making Chris wonder exactly how close Leon and his sister had become. Later. I can worry about his intentions if we make it back alive..."

- Chris’s thoughts, Resident Evil Code: Veronica novel.

"He thought she did, but she’d also told him a little about her friend Leon, too, and he wasn’t so sure that they were just friends."

- Steve Burnside’s thoughts, Resident Evil Code: Veronica novel.

Fanon
With Leon and Claire having been introduced in the second installment of the series, they’ve been fan favorites for the past 20+ years, their relationship with each other being no different. Their last official canon interaction was during the CGI movie Resident Evil: Degeneration, set during 2005. With the Resident Evil 2 remake, the ship has regained love from new and older members of the fandom following the new content.

In September 2020, the announcement of the episodic series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness that is set to air on Netflix in 2021, has gathered the same hype for Cleon that the RE2 remake did back in 2019. Fans are speculating on what timeline Infinite Darkness will take place, with many believing it’s set after Resident Evil 7 and the CGI movie Vendetta, meaning fans are hoping this will be the first time since 2005 that Leon and Claire will be reunited in canon.

On AO3, Cleon is the fifth most written ship within the Resident Evil - All Media Types tag; Leon’s third most written and Claire’s most written.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Leon/Claire tag on FanFiction.net
 * Leon/Claire tag on FanFiction.net

DEVIANT ART

TUMBLR

Variations

 * Clerry refers to the ship between Sherry Birkin, Leon and Claire

Trivia

 * Tsuyoshi Kanda, the producer of the Resident Evil 2 remake, revealed in an interview in 2018 that the team wanted to try and “deepen the narrative experience and relationship between Leon and Claire” as well as the rest of its characters. This may explain why Leon and Claire’s scenes in the remake are less platonic and have more flirtatious undertones compared to original.

Gallery

 * Cleon/Gallery