Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below piece of fiction, Capcom does.
Warning: Graphic MalexMale sex
Authors Note: Another chapter is upon us, just as another year is fast approaching! It's about... six and a half hours until 2011 where I am right now, but I'm sure for a lot of you it's already 2011 when you read this! Woah! I hope you guys all had a wicked awesome holiday, and I hope the new year is good to you guys! My resolution this year is to finish State of Flux, but what are your guys'? Once again I want to thank you all for supporting me this entire year (SoF is almost a year old on this site) and for showing me so much kindness and generosity- you're all so amazing and I love you.
Chapter 35- Stress
Stress: The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it. ~Anonymous~
It was silent in the woods—completely silent. The usual chatter and songs from the birds were gone, the once occasional scuttle of a squirrel ceased to be, and even the insects seemed to be absent.
It was as if the place was a grave, dead and still with undisrupted air clinging to everything, choking off that much needed feeling of life. Life of any kind; whether it be as significant as a doe jumping through the underbrush, or as simple as a ladybug landing on a shoulder. But there was no sign... No sign at all.
"Can you feel it?" Chris asked, walking up one of many gravel-covered trails to an old cabin that housed a young family—according to the official police and real estate papers, that was.
"Feel what?" Jill asked, reading the crumbled sheet over again, as if she needed to memorize the names of the people she was going to kick out of their home.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Chris shrugged and looked around before answering. "The lack of life... There's nothing here, Jill."
Frowning, Jill shrugged as well. "I'm not thinking about it."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm thinking about the case, Chris."
"Doesn't this complete lack of life have anything to do with the case?" Chris asked, eyes wide.
"Not at the moment it doesn't," she mumbled as they approached the door and knocked. Waiting side by side, Chris grumbled a little about how it did matter before a young woman with short red hair and numerous freckles on her nose answered.
"Yes?" she said, smiling despite the confusion on her features.
"Hi, we're from the Raccoon City police department," Jill said as the two of them flashed their badges. "I don't know if you're aware of the recent murder cases in the area, but we've been ordered to alert those living in the vicinity of the Raccoon to leave for the duration of the investigation, both for the safety of your family, but also for the safety and credibility of the investigation," she recited with ease.
"O-oh, you mean the cannibal cases?" she asked, suddenly going pale.
"Yes, those—now, if you don't have anywhere to go, the city has offered up rooms at one of the hotels free of charge where you and your family may stay for the time being," Jill said as Chris stood awkwardly beside her, trying to decide if he should look intimidating or sympathetic. Sometimes it was hard giving up his tough guy persona when on a mission.
"N-no, I think I can stay with my mother—she lives in town," she said, clutching the door handle. "Do we have to leave right away?"
"The sooner the better," Chris said, wanting to say something. "If not today, then tomorrow. Don't worry; you'll be able to come back soon enough. Just pack up a few changes of clothes and bathroom items and you should be good."
Nodding, the woman took a shaky breath before speaking. "This is very serious, isn't it?"
"It appears it's getting there," Chris said as Jill frowned. "But we're doing everything we can to solve it. Please have patience and we're sure to solve it in due time."
"Y-yes, I'm sure you will. Is that all?"
"Yes, that is it," Jill said, thanking the woman for her cooperation before turning to leave. Chris was about to follow before he paused and turned around halfway to speak to the woman again.
"Do you mind if I ask you a quick question?"
A little surprised, the woman paused closing the door before nodding.
"The animals... Have you seen them around lately?"
She took a moment to reply before she finally came to a realization of some sort, eyebrows furrowed. "You know... I haven't. When we arrived up here for the summer there was very little wildlife activity..."
"When did you arrive?" he asked, taking out his notebook from his back pocket to record what she was saying.
"Late June, just after my kids got out of school. But my neighbours down the lane had been here longer and commented on not having seen a single deer all season."
Pausing his writing, Chris looked down the lane to see the abandoned house peeking through the trees. "Those neighbours?"
"Yes, they left a little while ago... They didn't feel comfortable down here anymore."
"And you do?"
"Well... truthfully, no. But my husband rented this cabin for the summer and we came all the way from New York to enjoy it. He wanted his money's worth and the kids seem happy enough..."
Nodding, Chris finished up his notes before putting his book away. "Well, thank you. If things pan out accordingly, you shouldn't miss too much time in the cabin."
"You're welcome."
Turning around, Chris walked down the steps and caught up with Jill, who was standing at the end of the driveway, her gaze following him.
"What was that about?" she asked, moving with Chris as they continued to their next destination, the police cruiser just down the lane a little near the beginning of the strip of cabins.
"I was just asking her some questions. Most of the houses we've been to up here have been deserted and I figured we should take the opportunity to ask someone what they thought about the forest when we had the chance."
Rolling her eyes, Jill smiled a little. "You're so eager to solve this, Chris... It's nice to see."
Since they were put on the case less than two days ago, Chris had been all over the new report cases like a dirty shirt. Finally, all of the information was free to him—no more hiding, no more guessing, and no more bloody late night coffee runs at Barry's house. All he had been doing since yesterday was looking over the case files and running ideas past fellow STARS members, finally able to get new input.
Forest had a hunch it was a group of people who had a fear of the coming apocalypse that most religions claimed would happen almost every year. He figured they were killing in some sick and twisted notion that it would save them.
Enrico thought that maybe some mentally insane people had decided to go off of their meds because of the side effects, and had completely lost it. He had pulled up a case of a schizophrenic man in Canada who had had an episode and decapitated, stabbed repeatedly, and then eaten a young man sitting next to him on a bus as possible support for his idea.
Meanwhile, Brad was still joking about the zombie idea Jill had unwillingly brought up.
Chris still didn't have any ideas, and just listened to others and incorporated the possibilities of each one into the fray every time he looked at the case.
But for now, he and the rest of STARS were patrolling the forest in order to clear everyone out. He and Jill were stationed in the north and asked to visit the rental cabins and homes located in the area. The other teams of two were scattered around Raccoon's forest, going to camp grounds, parks, and other houses in order to get everyone out.
They said it was for the safety of the case mostly, but Chris suspected it was more for the safety of everyone there. Things had become dangerous in the woods now.
"I'm just trying to help," Chris said as he got into the cruiser just as Jill did. Buckling up, he started the car and drove up the narrow road, following the directions they'd been given to the next area where people lived.
"I know, I know," Jill said, staying silent for the rest of the trip to the next house. Parking the cruiser on the side of the road, they got out and wandered up to the cabin that looked like it hadn't been used for some time.
"I don't know why we're going to abandoned places," Chris said, walking slowly up the driveway as Jill paused halfway. Stopping beside her, Chris turned his gaze towards where hers was, trying to see what she was seeing.
"What is it?" he asked after a time, not seeing anything.
"I thought... It looks like a house is up there."
"So?"
"One that isn't on the map," she said, starting to make her way over in the general direction of the mysterious house. "It looks big."
Following her into the woods, Chris tried to look at what she was looking at while keeping his balance as he trudged over deadfall and shrubs. It took some time, the light from the sun and the reflections off of dust particles clouding his vision, before he was under a large tree and could see a looming house far in the distance.
"How the hell did you see that?" he asked, finding it hard to really see it even now that he had a placement on it.
"I saw some light reflect off a window," she said, staring at the house. "It looks eerie..."
"It looks dead," Chris said, noticing the dead trees around it... "It looks abandoned."
"We should get in contact with someone on the team, see if they know anything about this place," she stated, her map out as she tried to place it.
Nodding in agreement, Chris followed Jill back to the cruiser where they turned on the radio and tried to get into contact with anyone from STARS who was close enough. It just so happened to be Barry and Wesker—Chris' favourite and least favourite people in the world.
Since Wesker's outburst the other day, Chris hadn't spoken to him at all on a personal level and barely on a professional one. It was tense around him now, almost suffocating. While he tried to pretend there would be no loose endings or unsaid feelings between them before, now it was impossible to push past it all. It hurt Chris a little to see Wesker so... put together and unfazed. He'd never say it out loud, though.
Their description of the place over the radio did little to help Barry and Wesker to understand what they were talking about, and they were told to wait until they had arrived so they could see it for themselves. That wait involved half an hour of sitting in the cruiser, the air conditioning being turned on after the fifteen minute mark to keep cool. They had planned to be done by mid afternoon to get out of the hot July heat, but that obviously didn't pan out as their watches read 1 o'clock.
When Barry and Wesker finally arrived, the two of them got out and joined them at their car.
"What is this about a big house?" Barry asked, giving them both a very confused look.
"It's a mansion or something up ahead—it's not connected to any main roads and it doesn't appear on our map," Jill explained, walking with them back towards where they had seen it.
"Are you sure it's a house?" Wesker asked, falling in step beside Jill as she trudged forward, leaving Barry and Chris to follow.
"Yes, I'm positive— what else would it be?"
"A figment of your imagination? These woods can play tricks on one's mind—it's easy to get lost both physically and mentally."
Chris tried to hold back a snort as Wesker trailed off on one of his more lyrical prose moments, and instead minded where he stepped as they entered the forest again. Not even so much as a bug was crawling on the deadfall...
"Do you see it?" Jill asked as they reached the point, her finger pointing in the direction of the mansion that still seemed to be there.
Squinting, both Wesker and Barry took their time looking before Barry spoke. "Yup, it's definitely a house."
"A rather large one at that," Wesker said, voice soft as he continued to stare at it.
"Maybe we should go investigate?" Chris asked, an eyebrow raised and lips pursed out at the end.
"No," Wesker said, finally pulling his attention away—barely. "Not now, at least... Jill, may I have that map?"
Passing it over, Jill watched as Wesker took out his compass and began to mark it on the map in relation to the cabin behind them. "Go back to your cruisers, and Barry, tell everyone to check in at the office when they're done before they go for the day..." he said, distance in his voice.
"Right," Barry said, leaving the area with Jill close at hand. Chris took a moment of trying to decide if he should go with them, but found himself firmly planted beside Wesker. Watching him mark the spot, Chris tried to act casual as his throat closed up on him.
"Let's go," Wesker said, turning to make leave. Giving Wesker a shaky nod he couldn't see, Chris followed beside him, an eerie feeling creeping up his back and settling in his stomach like a dead weight. That mansion gave him the fucking creeps and he wasn't even near it.
"Why haven't we heard of such a place?" Chris asked as they approached the cabin in the clearing. "You'd think we would have, what with it being so... large."
"I don't know," Wesker said, a phrase not often heard coming from his lips. Getting out into the clearing, Wesker made movement towards the cruisers, and Chris, without realizing it, reached out to grab his shoulder.
He could immediately feel Wesker stiffen, and retracted his hand quickly, trying to undo what he had done. Turning around slightly, Wesker eyed Chris through his sunglasses. "What is it?"
"I just... I... it's nothing," he mumbled, brushing past Wesker— desperately trying to stop himself from blurting out anything about his feelings in an attempt to get rid of them finally.
"You'd best stay quiet about it," Wesker said, stopping Chris in his tracks. Turning around, Chris looked at him carefully. Stepping forward, Wesker got a little too close for his comfort before speaking again. "Stay quiet about the mansion—everyone will find out about it in due time."
And that small glimmer of hope that had blossomed that Wesker was going to talk to him about their relationship was squashed, leaving Chris to follow after him to the cruisers in the blistering summer heat.
**XX**
"So when do you think my new desk will show up?"
"You mean your old one that you left in the other room? I don't know, maybe when you decide to push it in here. It has been almost two weeks, after all..."
Feeling a paperclip hit the side of his head, Chris snapped his gaze up from his newspaper to glare at Joseph, who was sitting beside him, his feet propped up on a box filled with his junk. "There's no room here. I'm tempted to just stay in Bravo team's office."
"Then go back there..." Chris mumbled, returning to his paper to read a report on the wildlife in Raccoon Forest. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had noticed a sharp decline in the local wildlife population, for the article was dealing with Fish and Wildlife officers who were growing concerned as well. They also seemed none too pleased that the police weren't letting them into the woods to get records together to try and figure out what the hell happened.
"Hey, what's up with you today?" Joseph asked after a few moments of silence, his boots hitting the ground as he moved to rest forward. "You're really quiet."
Finishing the article, Chris flipped the sheet over before sitting back in his own chair. Staring at the STARS emblem behind Wesker's desk, Chris thought about what was 'up' with him. He was stressed about the case (they hadn't had any real breaks), he was still wondering about that damn mansion (Wesker had mentioned it to everyone in passing, but it had little to do with their current agenda), Mindy had become distant (and she still wouldn't tell him the truth about what was making her so nervous), and finally, Wesker was being Wesker. That meant he was always in the back of Chris' thoughts—skittering about, making it difficult for Chris to just get over him and move on.
Of course, he couldn't tell Joseph most of that, and simply shrugged. "Didn't sleep well last night."
"Mm, I've been sleeping terribly the past few days too... No one said joining Alpha team would be so stressful. I keep looking over my shoulder every five seconds thinking Wesker's going to come and fire me because he doesn't like the way I sit," he mumbled, going to take his bandana off. "At least with Enrico I didn't have a constant feeling of paranoia surrounding me wherever I went."
Joseph was assigned to Alpha team two weeks ago, making the teams a little more even when it came to the numbers on each side. With Rebecca joining, it made it so Bravo team was becoming much larger than Alpha team. Chris wasn't completely sure why Wesker chose to carry Joseph over, but he knew Joseph was a competent guy who got the job done, and Brad had been spending too long working on the helicopters mostly by himself. Joseph was a good mechanic, and Brad needed the help. But the strangest thing about the shuffling of the team members was when Wesker announced a man named Kevin Dooley would be joining the fray as Bravo team's new helicopter pilot, shifting Edward down to co-pilot and field operative. Kevin was already a police officer at the RPD, and a pretty competent one at that... But that was it. There was nothing outstanding on his record, no previous experience that would put him above the rest, nothing that set him apart from any other officer walking the beat.
Chris didn't want to sound elitist, but he felt that Kevin was a little unprepared for the demands that STARS put on its members. You had to be incredibly good at what you did, and a regular police officer who could fly a helicopter wasn't what he thought would be a good candidate for STARS. He also wouldn't admit he was a little jealous that even more people got to fly a helicopter while he was sitting out on the sidelines. He hadn't flown in well over a year now, and he was getting antsy.
"Feeling out of place?" Chris asked, finally turning his attention to Joseph.
"A little," he admitted. "I don't know, it just seems like a weird time to be shaking things up so much. We're already on edge from this case, why start putting new people in and taking others out, you know?"
It was true; Chris was beginning to feel a little uneasy even in his own office now.
"Mm... Well, things will get better once we solve this stupid cannibal case," Chris mumbled, tossing a piece of string he'd pulled off of his vest onto his desk with a strong force behind it. Unfortunately, it was too light and floated down and back onto his pants.
"Think we'll ever get a break?" Joseph asked as Jill returned to the room with a cup of coffee in her hands.
"We better," she said, sitting down at her desk. "If we don't, I think we're all going to be admitted to the crazy house... And did you guys stay here for your entire lunch hour?" she added in at the end.
"Yeah, it's raining out," Chris said, frowning. It had been raining all day, and the weather report said it would carry through to tomorrow. The lightening from outside had already made the lights in the RPD flicker a few times.
"So?" she said, giving Chris a confused look.
"So I didn't bring anything for lunch and I didn't want to go out to get something."
Rolling her eyes, Jill shrugged and went to sip her coffee as she opened up a file on her computer. "Whatever, I don't want to hear your stomach growling later on, though."
Sticking his tongue out, Chris sent her a glare she couldn't see before turning his attention to the door, the sound of a loud conversation carrying through, slightly muffled but still apparent.
"What's going on?" Joseph asked, turning around in his chair to stare at the door. Shrugging, Chris figured it was two people yelling at each other from down the hall, and went back to staring off into space before a loud thud was heard against the door.
Standing up along with Joseph, Chris went to the door and threw it open, revealing the sight of two police officers in a full out brawl, their hands grabbing and pulling as they tried to throw punches while protecting themselves.
"What the hell?" Chris yelled, trying to get in between the two of them to break it up. A few other officers had shown up and were trying to help, but it didn't prevent Chris from getting hit in the stomach by a rouge swing. Taking the blow, Chris was winded for a moment and fell back against the wall just as they were broken up by three other cops, all of them trying to prevent the original two from getting close to each other.
"Calm the fuck down," one of the officers yelled out, standing between them with his arms out. No longer feeling like he would die without oxygen, Chris managed to stand up straight, his hand still touching his stomach as a bruise no doubt began to form.
Ripping himself out of one of the officers' grasp, the younger of the two cops gave the other a nasty glare before he stalked off in one direction, the other doing the same except for he went towards the stairs, leaving Chris and the three cops standing in the middle of the hallway.
"What was that about?" Chris asked, grimacing as his muscles seized.
"Who the fuck knows? Probably just some more high strung guys looking to let off steam," one of them said, a hand going to touch his nose where some blood had began to pool under.
"This place is going to the dogs," another mumbled as Chris turned around to return to his office. He figured maybe they should all be turned in to the insane asylum now—screw waiting like Jill had suggested.
**XX**
Sitting in the meeting room, Chris cracked his neck a few times and crossed his arms in front of his chest, the hum of the projector the only sound in the room save for Wesker's voice. He had been going over the case with the team for the last half hour, information being recited to them that they had already read over again and again. Of course, that didn't stop Wesker from repeating it as if they hadn't been obsessing over it for weeks.
"So when do we actually get to go in and investigate?" Forest asked when Wesker had paused in his speech. Forest was sitting near the back, the light from the projector resting across his face. He seemed relaxed in his pose, but Chris could see the defensive posture he had taken.
"I was getting to that," Wesker said, only a little bit of annoyance hiding behind what he had said. Pressing a button, the projector slid to a new photo, this time of the Raccoon Forest map, dots littering it with all of them different colours except for numerous red and yellow ones that seemed to be surrounding a large green square.
"Going over the case files, I decided to try and place the reported attacks and murders on a map of the forest and outer reaches of the city. Unfortunately, some of the bodies were not found where they were presumed to be killed—as is the case for the first murder— and will be omitted from the main theory I have at the moment."
"And what theory is that?" Forest asked again, eyebrows furrowed as he studied the map.
"I was getting there..." Wesker said, and Chris knew he was glaring at him from behind his sunglasses. "For the other bodies that were discovered in their original resting place, they all seemed to be centered in one particular area." Using a little laser pointer, Wesker drew their attention to the red dots scattered around the green square. "The red dots here represent the murders, and the yellow ones represent reported sighting that would qualify as strange and related to the investigation—reports such as groups of roaming people and wild dogs.
"As you can see, the yellow points congregate mostly around the same area the bodies have been found around, with a few only straying so far as the outer city limits," he said, bringing their attention to one yellow dot that appeared near a gas station just outside the dense tree line. If Chris remembered correctly, a man reported seeing a mangy, rabid dog wandering around near the pumps late at night.
"So what's the green square?" Enrico asked as Wesker turned off his laser pointer.
"Two weeks ago," Wesker began as he went to lean against the podium at the front, "when we went to clear the forest out, Jill noticed a strange house that was not on any of our maps. Trying to gather information on the place has been, unfortunately, fruitless, but when I placed the house on the map and related the murders and sightings to its location, a disturbing similarity began to crop up—that similarity is what you are looking at now."
"So... you think this house has something to do with the murders?" Chris asked, trying to piece it all together quickly so he didn't look like an idiot. Maybe the murderers were living in that place?
Nodding, Wesker turned the projector off and nodded to Forest, who turned the lights back on. "I believe that this house is connected to these cases. The extent to which it is, I am unsure of, but I feel that if we investigate the house itself, we may come up with some answers. It is a start if nothing else."
Frowning, Chris sat in his chair, the atmosphere in the room stuffy and claustrophobic. He felt like there was a heavy weight looming over them, and the rope holding it up was just at its breaking point.
"Bravo team, you'll be the first to go in and secure the area—you will begin the investigation while Alpha team will provide backup if it is needed." Wesker said it quickly and with authority, making it clear no one would question his decision.
"When?" Enrico asked.
"Tomorrow night."
**XX**
The initial meeting started at ten in the morning, and none of the STARS members were dismissed until six o'clock that evening. Wesker had gone over the plan about ten times over, ensuring everyone was properly prepared for... whatever was out there. Bravo team would go in at night, a time when the murders occurred and the most activity in the area was sighted. They would land the helicopter in a clearing not far from the mansion, and two units would be dispatched from the main meeting point. One would go scope out the mansion and make sure the perimeter was safe before entering, while the second unit would patrol the surrounding area in search of the murderers or the mangy dogs that were reported on a semi-frequent basis now.
All were told to shoot the dogs if they saw them, and approach any human suspect with extreme caution. If one wrong move was made, they were given permission to shoot.
This was all well and good, and everyone agreed upon it... Except for those in Alpha team. Chris didn't understand why Bravo was being sent in and not Alpha. He realized that Bravo team needed back up should anything happen, but he didn't see why they were the back up and not the other unit. He wanted in there—he wanted to explore the place, uncover the mysteries, and actually fucking do something. But instead he would be stationed in their office, sitting in front of the radios and recording devices like a sad little lump of uselessness.
Jill said he was overreacting when they left the meeting room, but he didn't think so. He just wanted something to do, not only to solve the case but get his mind off of everything else that was going on around him. He felt overwhelmed with the sudden emotional situations he found himself in mostly due to Mindy and Wesker, and didn't know how to handle it properly. So he searched for something to shut himself off with—a diversion within a diversion.
But he couldn't even have that.
Saying goodbye to his fellow members, Chris left in his Jeep to go home, the rain still falling in a steady stream. The ground was soaking wet and the streets were cool to the touch. It felt more like late September than the middle of July, and Chris was beginning to think even the weather was against him.
Returning home, Chris had a quick dinner that involved a frozen meal and a peach before he sat back on his couch and stared out the window, trying not to think too much about 'what if's like he had been for the last couple of weeks.
What if Mindy was in trouble and needed his help? And what if something serious happened to her but he didn't do anything because he couldn't get the proper information?
What if the mission tomorrow went badly? What if they find the murderers and they were attacked? Would someone get hurt?
And finally, what if Wesker hadn't closed himself off? What if he told Chris what was going on in his life? Would they have been able to work it out? Or what if Wesker would actually listen to him work his feelings out so he could finally find some peace and closure?
So many what ifs with no actual answers. He felt like he was running around in circles in his own head.
Lying down on his couch, he closed his eyes and listened to the patter of the rainfall, trying to doze off to find some sort of semblance of peace...
Unfortunately, he was woken by a loud buzzing from his speaker near the door, prompting him to sit up quickly, heart beating a mile a minute as the silence was broken. Calming himself, Chris took a deep breath and shook his head before standing up to go to the receiver.
"Hello?" he mumbled, resting against the wall as he pressed the little white button under the speaker.
"May I come in?"
Raising an eyebrow, Chris realized it was Wesker on the other side, and for a moment he thought he was hearing things, making things up given his train of thought. But he then came to the conclusion that he wouldn't make Wesker's voice sound so... strained and jittery—his voice was faster like he was in a hurry.
Wesker didn't sound like he usually did. His tone lacked a certain arrogance and confidence...
"Yeah, sure," Chris replied before buzzing him in. Clenching and unclenching his hands, Chris suddenly felt his mouth go dry and his palms become sweaty, the realization that Wesker was coming up to speak to him getting the better of him.
He didn't know why Wesker was coming over, especially not after how many times he had shot him down to talk things through and get closure... He didn't know what was going on, and that made him nervous; on edge and hesitant to go through with this... whatever it was.
Staying by the door, Chris waited until he heard a knock and opened it to see Wesker standing before him, completely soaked to the bone. His hair was flat and wet, little strands dripping water droplets. His shirt was stuck to his skin and bunched up around his arms and waist, and his sunglasses were gone, pocketed or simply let in his car. He looked like a mess.
"W-were you standing outside?" he found himself asking, trying to push past the slight apprehension when he looked into Wesker's steel grey eyes. He couldn't read Wesker... He was completely closed off. There was no emotion on his face except for blind determination. But none of the usual cues could give Chris insight into what Wesker was thinking.
It scared him.
"Wesker... What's going on?" he found himself asking when Wesker simply took a shaky breath. Once again, instead of replying, Wesker seemed to have a debate within himself, mind elsewhere for a time before he finally turned his attention back to Chris. A moment between them passed in which Chris wanted to back away, before Wesker was on him, grabbing his face and pulling him close for a bruising kiss.
Grabbing at Wesker's wrists and clutching onto them until his knuckles were white, Chris tried to pull him off in an attempt to become grounded again, but found his entire body being slammed against the wall near his telephone. Wincing as pain ran through his spine and up to the back of his head, Chris squeezed his eyes shut and momentarily stopped his attempts to get Wesker off of him.
Wesker, in the meantime, took the opportunity to press himself fully against Chris, his body incredibly hot underneath all of the cold fabric that clung to him like a second skin. Gasping, Chris opened his mouth and Wesker slid his tongue in quick as a snake, making Chris weak despite wanting to protest.
Letting out a frustrated sound, Chris tried to push Wesker off of him again, wanting to talk to him and figure out what the hell was going on. This is what broke them apart—the pure physicality and brutal behaviour of their relationship with very little emotional investment on the side of Wesker. It was all about that kill— about the domination and the control and nothing about an actual emotional connection.
Finally breaking the kiss, Chris tried to speak as Wesker began to suck on the skin right under his jaw, biting down with more force than necessary, making him cry out more in pain than pleasure.
"Wesker, don't," he tried to say, but instead found Wesker was pressing between him, slamming his hips against the wall and bruising his tailbone in the process. He wanted to just talk, he wanted to calm Wesker down and get him to stop acting like some trapped, wild animal. He almost wanted Wesker to stop, an overwhelming sense of wrong capturing him and holding him in, pulling him under and suffocating his sense of reality and morals.
It wasn't rape, but it was close enough that Chris felt a certain amount of fear. He wanted Wesker back—he wanted him so badly. But he was afraid that if he let him take him this way, that all of what he stood for would fall away. That that strong wall of defence he had built up to protect himself from letting Wesker use him again would crumble with the simple press of their lips together.
He didn't want to become the type of person that would let themselves be used...
But instead of protesting further, instead of standing up for what he wanted for himself, he let himself be dragged to his bed and thrown upon the mattress like some rag doll, his resolve breaking.
Landing on his stomach, he coughed as the bruising on his abdomen screamed out, sending more pain through his body. Wesker didn't seem to care as he pulled Chris' pants off, a distinct ripping sound resonating around the room, interrupting the sound of rain as it lashed against the window.
Tossing them across the room, Wesker shoved Chris' underpants down so they were resting on his thighs and pulled his hips up, exposing his ass and making him blush at the blatant disregard for his decency. Grimacing as the pain continued to linger on his stomach, Chris squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of Wesker's pants zipper being pulled down carried to him like the sound of stone walls crashing down around him.
He could turn back down—his one last chance. He could move away and physically distance himself from Wesker. He knew Wesker wouldn't fully rape him—knew that if he told him to stop he would. But he didn't say it; he didn't tell Wesker to stop and he didn't move. All he did was bite down hard on his pillow as Wesker slammed into him with no preparation, stretching his hole in an unpleasant manner.
Grasping at his sheets, Chris braced himself as Wesker began to move against him, slamming in again and again as Chris tried to keep himself together, his body rocking close to the headboard. He could feel Wesker's pants hitting his ass and thighs in an unpleasantly cold way that contrasted against the burning he was feeling in between his legs. Blocking off any emotions, Chris tried to enjoy the feeling of having Wesker inside him, but couldn't.
It hurt like a fucking bitch.
Letting Wesker do what he wanted, Chris could feel his still clothed body press against his back, his teeth biting down on the nap of Chris' neck as he continued to thrust against him, growls escaping past his lips every so often, giving away the animalistic nature behind what they were doing.
This was sex in its most primal form—raw, powerful, and dangerous. This was what Wesker was—this is what Wesker always would be. It excited and terrified Chris, and he carried those feelings with him as he braced his body for Wesker's impending orgasm.
Holding it together, Chris felt Wesker move to press his cheek against Chris', hot breath clinging to his skin as he came, hips snapping forward and grinding deep into his ass. Chris whimpered softly as he came deep inside him, body shaking just as Weser collapsed on top of him, no longer able to stay upright.
Lying on the mattress with Wesker still inside him, Chris finally opened his eyes to stare outside at the rain that was falling, darkness already closing in on the city as the sun went down... You couldn't tell, though, not with the cloud cover drenching the city into dull greys. Watching the water droplets fall down the windowpane, Chris continued to shake, his body overstimulated and his mind a complete wash.
He didn't know what Wesker was doing, and he didn't care. He just hoped that whatever Wesker was thinking, whatever he had intended to resolve by coming here, that he had figured it out because those feelings he just experienced—shame, fear, and confusion—were not going to be wasted upon an endeavour that didn't leave Wesker somewhat satisfied.
If Wesker didn't have a reason for this, Chris was going to kill him.
Finally, Wesker was moving, pulling out of Chris before standing up. Waiting for Wesker to return with something to clean himself up with, he was genuinely surprised to hear Wesker zipping up his pants before his footsteps headed to the door.
Getting up quick as a whip, Chris turned around and managed to grab Wesker's wrist before he made it too far. Turning his head to look at Chris, they locked eyes, both of them unwavering in their gaze before Chris spoke.
"You don't have to tell me what's going on, and you don't have to explain yourself, but I will not let you come in here and use me like some cheap whore," he said, voice shaking with emotion. "Either you walk out that door and never, ever fucking come to me again... or you stay the night and get over whatever the fuck is going on with you."
He didn't know why he wanted Wesker to stay, especially after what had just happened, but he couldn't have Wesker walk out that door—not tonight and not when he was so close to getting that closure.
There was a long, tense moment of silence from then on, but Chris refused to let go of Wesker's wrist. Staring at each other, they didn't move at all before Wesker's jaw relaxed the slightest of fractions. Taking his hand back, Wesker turned around and headed this time for the bathroom. Watching him through the open door, Chris saw him wet a towel before he returned to toss it to him.
Fumbling with the catch, Chris was caught off guard by the fact that he had actually gone to retrieve something to clean himself up with like he used to do. Standing up shakily, he moved to clean his lower area with care, turning away from Wesker as if it was something to be ashamed of.
Finishing, Chris went to put the towel in the sink in the bathroom, and returned to see Wesker undressing, the garments clinging to his skin as he slowly peeled them off. His back was to Chris as he sat on the edge of the bed, and Chris watched the process, trying to get insight into what Wesker was thinking... Why he had come... Why he was staying.
He soon realized, though, that he would get no answers for his questions, and instead found himself mentally beating himself up for what he had done. He'd once again bitten into the forbidden fruit—tasted the apple and let the snake wrap itself around him...
But he could bring himself down about it later. Right now he was going to rest, to get some much needed sleep and think about it all after the mission was done and all outside distractions were gone. Returning his gaze to Wesker, he admired the way the blue light from the moon that was peeking out from behind a cloud rested along the sharp angles and lines of Wesker's silhouette, and tried to stay calm and collected, for both their sakes.
He was clearly caught up about something, and Chris was going to give him the benefit of the doubt... for now. This wasn't the time for mistrust and bitter feelings, not when tomorrow evening was fast approaching. They had to be united.
Stripping the rest of the way, Chris climbed into his bed the same time Wesker did, and laid down. Staring up at the ceiling, Chris rested his arm behind his head, and could see Wesker do the same out of the corner of his eye.
Watching the shadows dance across the ceiling, Chris finally found his mind slowing down as he rested next to Wesker, who was doing the very same, their sides pressed together—Wesker's cooling skin tingling his own. No words were exchanged, no thoughts shared... They simply laid and stared at the ceiling until sleep came.
Tomorrow, Bravo team was going in to investigate the mansion, and then things would start to make sense again... There would be closure—Chris would make sure he got Wesker to speak to him. They weren't leaving this apartment until something happened and he could finally move on.
Tomorrow, everything would change. Chris felt it in his gut.
Wesker's feeling stressed and needs some lovin'. Too bad he goes about it the wrong way. Anyways, ZOMBIES! YES! SOON! I SWEAR! But maybe not the next chapter... or the chapter after that. But I guarantee that they will arrive very soon. Also, it's taken me a YEAR to get to this point in the story. A YEAR! Man, you guys are dedicated for sticking with this story, and I want to send you all candy... but I can't. I would if I could, though! Finally, please check out my profile- I've linked a whole bunch of art people have done for SoF! Go check it out! Anyways, Happy New Year!