Disclaimer: Capcom owns the characters. One of these days maybe they'll stop screwing them up.
First Contact
"Well, if you treat her like she's just another addition to your panties collection, that's all she's ever going to be."
It was said with a look that was part smile, part smirk. Chris stopped, putting his hands on his waist and scowling at his partner. "What the hell does that mean?'
Jill took the opportunity to reach out and clip just above his left ear with an open hand, hard enough to make his ear ring from the blow. "It means exactly what it sounds like. If you want someone you aren't going to get bored with then you need to stop finding flavors of the week and look for someone with a quality you like besides her panties... or lack thereof."
Jumping back, he crouched just out of her reach. "That would mean dealing with all that other... stuff." He couldn't even bring himself to say it.
Dancing back out of his reach as he lunged for her, his partner shrugged. "OK then, I don't want to hear it again. If you're only looking for conquests, that's all you'll ever get." She threw a punch meant to connect with his jaw but he brought his arm up to block just in time. Obviously he was distracted.
Chris lunged, taking her down by her waist and he thought he had her, until she promptly tossed him over her head with her feet in his stomach. He landed on the mat with a thud and didn't move for a minute as he contemplated her words.
"So what is it you think I should be looking for then?"
His partner smiled, pushing her short brown hair out of her eyes. Making sure she stayed well out of his launch zone she grabbed her water bottle and took a drink. "Stop thinking with the other head Chris. Seriously, do you even known half these girls' names? Last names?"
He scowled at her and pushed himself off the floor. Mats made the training room a little softer, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. "Of course I do!"
"OK then, what was... Molly's... last name?" she challenged, pulling out a name he had mentioned a few weeks ago.
Truth was, he wasn't even sure which one Molly was, but Jill was obviously expecting an answer. "Smith?"
The water bottle zinged past his head and he ducked just in time. Apparently that had been the wrong answer.
"Chris!" He could tell she was close to stomping her feet at his and had to bite back the grin it caused. Watching her get all riled up was one of the perks to being her partner. "You need to start looking for someone you actually like. Someone who isn't just a pretty face! Someone you trust, care about! Someone who doesn't let you push them around. You'll never respect someone who doesn't stand up to you." His grin made her take a step back and narrow her eyes at him. "What?"
"I was thinking..."
"Well that's never good." was the dry reply as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"I might know someone. Someone who fits this description."
A brow went up skeptically. "Really?" Jill couldn't help it, her curiosity was getting the better of her. "And who might that be?"
The grin got wider and he advanced on her. "I'll make you a deal..." Stopped as he was almost toe to toe with her, he knew it forced her to look up at him. She merely gave him the I'm waiting look. "We finish this. And if you win, I'll tell you."
She snorted. "And if you win?" There was no way in hell she was going to agree until she knew what he wanted. Chris was sneaky when it came to such things. Last time she agreed without knowing the terms she had to do his laundry for a month. She still swore he'd been holding onto dirty clothes for months, letting them brew in stink for a while before giving them to her to wash. A lot of them had been his workout clothes. Blech.
He reached out for her, fingers trailing down her cheek. The wicked grin on his face made her belly turn somersaults. "I get something from you."
"Absolutely not!" Before he could get a grip on her she twisted out of the way.
Chris dove for her again, catching her mid torso and driving her down to the mat. He heard the thud as she hit and he made sure her head didn't smack it as well. The breath was knocked partially out of her and he almost felt guilty. Almost, but not quite. She'd done it to him on more than one occasion. Unfortunately for his partner, once you were down, if the bigger person managed to pin you down, you were mostly screwed.
Obviously she knew this and started squirming to get away. He had her by at least sixty pounds but she was faster. Squeaking out from under him as he started to throw a leg over her and sit up, she rolled away, her breath coming in gasps. It seemed he wanted to play rough today. That was fine, she could do the same.
Coming up to her feet, balancing on her hands, she swept a foot out, knocking his legs out from under him. Chris tumbled, that grin still on his face. Lunging, she pinned him, throwing her body over his and sitting up. Knowing she couldn't hold him down, she pulled the plastic training knife from her belt and held it to his throat.
"I win," she gloated.
"Not quite," came the reply as one arm came up under her arm to knock it away. The plastic blade grazed his neck but even if it had been real, it would have merely scratched him. Instead of rolling her over his other hand went to her hair, grabbing a handful of it and pulling her face down close to his. "What panties are you wearing today?"
He almost burst out laughing at her look of confusion. "What?" She blinked at him. What the hell would he want with her underwear?
"You heard me. If I win, I get your panties."
Recovering quickly she shifted and he tensed in response, waiting for her move. Leaning in, she got close to his ear and whispered, "I guess it doesn't matter why you want them, cause you're so not going to win." And with that she brought a knee up fast, stopping just shy of making him a soprano. But it startled him enough to make him let her go and she scrambled out of his reach.
Crouching low, she made herself as small of a target as possible while still being able to move. Chris was slowly getting up, still grinning at her. "You know, you could just make this easy and go ahead and give them to me now." He grinned more as her cheeks flushed. It wasn't from embarrassment though and he knew it. "You've lost the last three sparring matches with me you know." Goading her, he took another shot. "Not that I'm counting."
If anyone in the world could push her buttons, it was Chris. And he knew it. Jill took a deep breath and told herself not to fall for it. "Yeah and you lost the four before that, so I'm still ahead."
"Yeah, I let you win." She was about to smack that smirk off his face. And he was damn well going to buy her dinner after this.
"Let me-" sputtered Jill. "I'll show you let me..."
With that she moved in close, throwing a kick at his head that barely missed. Not that it would have hurt him. His head was made out of concrete. When she swung a leg up again, he caught it and flung it away from him, anticipating the move. "That's sloppy Valentine."
Jill didn't bother to respond, instead countered by landing a kick just above his knee that would have taken it out if it had connected. Chris knew it wasn't an accident she missed. She had the meanest kicks he'd ever seen. Lord knew he'd been on the receiving end of them on more than one occasion. She'd finally started holding back after she cracked a couple of his ribs.
Limping back out of her reach, he couldn't help but favor that leg. His knee was in tact, but he was going to have one hell of a bruise tomorrow. Pulling the knife at his own waist, he used brute strength and slashes to drive her back.
With a grace he always admired, she stayed just out of his reach, not gaining any ground from him but not really giving any either. When her back hit the mirrored wall, he held the dull blade to her throat. "Ready to give up?"
No response was spoken, instead she dropped a shoulder, ducked under the prop, latching onto his wrist as she went. The motion caused him to drop it as she pulled his arm up behind his back. "Are you?"
"Nah, it's just getting interesting"
Risking a dislocated shoulder, he dropped his weight, knowing she didn't have the strength to keep him up. He also knew she wouldn't let him get hurt. Or at least not too hurt. A little battered and bruised maybe.
Taking advantage of his weight shift and knowing she'd have to let go, she shoved against his back, sending him forward as she danced backwards away from him. Chris managed to catch himself, but it wasn't graceful and she smirked at him. "You're gonna have a lot of bruises to explain to the next flavor of the week."
"Chicks dig bruises."
"That's scars." She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "Besides, I give you the best bruises. How do you plan on explaining that? The girls you like will assume they have competition and that will lead to clingy girls."
He couldn't argue with that. "You do know how to make it hurt," something glinted in his eyes and it made her wary. "You planning on kissing any of them better?"
"Does that line ever work?" The grin he gave her was full of boyish swagger. "Never mind, I don't want to know."
"Come on Valentine, you're holding back." A wave of his fingers in a come here gesture. "It's no fun when you hold back."
"I'd hate to damage your inflated ego Redfield," she retorted, "but I'm willing to do it anyway." Rushing forward she landed an open hand to the side of his face hard enough to turn his head. He had to admit, he was damn glad it wasn't a fist. He'd be surprised if it didn't leave a mark.
"Oh you're going to pay for that one Jill." Anything else he was going to say was cut off when she swung a leg up and kicked him dead center in his chest.
Thankfully for him she was close enough she couldn't get as much inertia behind it as she probably wanted, so it sent him back several steps but didn't make him fall. Footing was iffy, but he knew she was off balance as well and threw himself against her, taking her down to the floor. Not giving her a chance to recover, he pinned her hands above her head with one hand. He didn't get a chance to gloat however because she bit him on the arm as soon as he opened his mouth. Yelping, he rolled off of her and she scrambled to her feet.
"Is that all you've got Redfield?" The flush was high in her face and neck. "You hit like your sister."
"Really?" He rushed her, using his size and strength to back her into a the cinder block wall. He knew full well had she had a gun in her hand he'd have been dead. He was also fully aware that she let him push her back. Otherwise she'd have kneed him in the balls for real. When he had her pinned, using his body against hers to keep her in place he leaned close, taking in the scent that was all Jill. He could always tell when she showered at the station because he could smell her on the damp air. A scent that had started doing funny things to him.
Jill swallowed hard and froze like a rabbit sensing the hawk was circling above. Her mind was processing options at lightning speed but her body was choosing to ignore all suggestions it was making. Traitorous bitch.
Chris nuzzled the side of her neck, feeling her pulse jerk there. "Funny, cause I've never wanted to do this with my sister. Have you?" As soft kiss to her jaw line made her tremble against him. "No, I don't think you have those kinds of thoughts about Claire."
She wasn't sure where all the feelings had come from. It was like one day she saw him and couldn't undo it. Like she was seeing him for the first time. That was a few weeks ago and she'd gone out of her way to ignore it as best as she could. It seemed it hadn't just happened to her.
A finger slid down the front of her sweaty STARS shirt to the hem and crept under it. Hooking the waist band of her gym shorts he pulled them away from her body just enough to see. Smiling, lips close to hers, "White cotton. I like it." Then he kissed her.
And her heart began to beat so hard in her chest she thought she might die here, with his lips on hers. With a will of their own her arms wound around his neck, pulling him even closer. A small feral sound escaped the back of her throat and he responded in kind. Chris' hands went to her hips, pulling her against him roughly. She could feel the length of him, hardness pressing into her belly and she wanted nothing more than to feel it slide home inside of her. One hand let go of his hair to glide down his chest and grasp him. He let out a rough groan and broke away.
"My sister doesn't have that. And she certainly doesn't play with it."
"God I hope not." She kissed him again, tongues meeting, fighting for dominance. His mouth trailed down her neck as her hand slipped inside his shorts.
"Jill..." her name was a growl against her neck. "We can't do this here." And he was right. In the RPD training room was probably a bad idea, not to mention the number of potential witnesses. However there were a lot of people who assumed they had already gotten this far, and further, already. Right this second she was pretty willing to risk it.
Whimpering in frustration, she put both hands against his chest. "What are we doing Chris?"
Unable to help it, he laughed, teeth nipping at her ear gently. "If you have to ask then I'm doing it wrong."
It was then both their pagers went off. Chris muttered something obscene under her breath, resting his forehead in the crook of her neck. "This had better be good." She couldn't possibly agree more.
Jill slipped away from him, taking those precious seconds to distance herself, remember that he was her partner. That this was a very bad idea. The black plastic rectangle vibrated in her hand and she flipped through the message, a scowl on her face as she finished. "It's from Wesker. We're mobilizing ASAP. Something about Bravo team going down in the woods outside the city." She handed the pager to him and shrugged a shoulder, "Half of it is garbled like usual." Damn pagers rarely gave them the full message correctly.
He took it from her hand, fingers brushing hers, and bit back the smile as she shivered at his touch. "All right, let's get ready." She turned to gather her stuff and he caught her wrist. Her eyes snapped up to his face and he let her go, only to cup her face with his free hand. His lips brushed against her lightly. "Don't think we're done here Valentine." One more tender kiss. "Consider this... first contact..." He kissed her forehead. "Next time I won't be as gentle."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," she threw at him and ran for the door.
Author's note: Originally this was meant to be a very short Flash Fic, but it sort of took on a life of its own. It was also meant to be just a bit of fluff but got a bit more serious than first imagined. I don't control these things... the story kind of does what it wants. Hope it passes muster from my Valenfield folks anyway.
Nov 2012