Claire finished taking her (much longer than it needed to be) shower and towel drying her hair to give both herself and the boy a little space. Though to tell the truth, it did feel nice to take a moment for herself. She even found a vanilla scented lotion under the sink that she spent the extra time to rub into her skin. She almost wished she had a mud mask to complete the experience and told herself she'd add it to the shopping list for Chris. She didn't even what to think what gunk had worked itself into her pores.
She emerged from the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair. She added 'get a haircut' to her rapidly growing mental to-do list, considering cropping it short. She didn't know if she actually had the guts to chop her locks off, but wanted something that felt new as she stepped into the next phase of her life.
"Woah." Steve blinked a few times, staring at her. He didn't think he'd ever seen her with her hair down. He didn't realize how long it was. Soft auburn waves that ended in the middle of her back. "You look… pretty."
She gave a short laugh. "What, cause of the hair? It's still damp and it's gonna dry weird if I put it up."
"I mean…. I think y'always look pretty." Steve smiled shyly. "But, I've never seen it down… I like it."
"Steve, you don't have to try to flatter me. I just saw what I looked like in the mirror." She half-joked. It would take at least a few days if not a few months before she actually felt attractive again.
Steve opened his mouth to argue as the front door unlocked. Chris's footsteps followed by his voice could be heard calling from the doorway.
"I hope you guys are hungry. I brought Happy Burger."
Claire's face lit up at the thought of a cheeseburger and fries. She was doubly excited at the aspect of not having to cook. It wasn't that she minded, it was just another responsibility on top of everything she already had to worry about. Taking care of Steve really was taking almost all of her waking hours.
"You're a life saver, Chris." She grinned.
Claire helped her brother plate the food in the kitchen. It felt a little silly to dirty dishes for fast food, but the routine was helping her get back into the swing of normal life. She plated Steve's, cutting his burger into sections so it would be easier for him to handle.
"I'll grab us some beverages and meet you two in there." Chris flashed a smile at the younger Redfield. He was excited to spend some time with her now that they had the chance. He hadn't been able to spend a substantial amount of time with her in far too long, thanks to all of the dealings in Raccoon City. He felt a little guilty, if he was being honest, for not reaching out to contact her before all of this happened. It seemed like they could have prevented at least some of this mess with a little bit of correspondence but he'd been very wary of bringing her to Umbrella's attention. He didn't know if this was the better outcome or not.
Claire presented Steve's plate to him with a wide smile. "I hope you're hungry."
Steve found his mouth watering a bit as he took the plate. The somewhat artificial but undeniably delicious smell helped stoke his appetite. He picked up one of the quarters, taking too large of a bite. "Mmmm."
She balanced her plate in her lap, digging into the crispy golden fries. She dipped them on some of the ketchup smeared on her plate and shoved them in her mouth, whole. Her eyes flickered into the back of her head for a moment – they were cooked to perfection. She'd missed food that actually tasted good.
Chris joined her next to the younger boy, holding a beer for Claire and himself and a cold soda for Steve. He handed one of the bottles to Claire, setting Steve's cola on the table beside him, already opened.
Claire took the booze, blinking at him for a moment. "….I don't think I should be getting drunk right now, Chris. I've got Steve to take care of."
"It's one beer, Claire." He gave Claire a look. "With dinner. One beer isn't going to get you drunk."
She gave a shrug, supposing he was right. Beers and burgers did pair pretty excellently together, she couldn't deny that. She tilted the bottle to her mouth, taking a swig. This was different than the beer she had the first night she was here – it was lighter, almost sweeter. Too easy to drink, as she found out very quickly.
"So how's it been here? You holdin' it down okay?" Chris asked, wiping some mustard off his face with the back of his hand.
"Yeah. Rebecca came by today. Checked my vitals, gave me some pills for sleep. And antibiotics." She took a sizeable bite of her burger. Exactly what she'd wanted – bacon avocado. She was so thankful that Chris remembered her favorite Happy Burger order.
"Are you having trouble sleeping?" He asked through a thick mouthful of burger. He already knew what the answer was. He would probably be more worried if she was getting enough sleep straight out of the Hell she'd been in.
Claire gave a nod, twirling a fry in her fingers. "Yeah. Nightmares." She murmured.
"They'll get better." Chris smiled, giving his sister's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "I promise."
-x-
Dinner and a beer turned into a second beer as she got lost in deep conversation with Steve and her older brother. It finally felt like home – before college, before Raccoon – when she would sit and talk to Chris for hours. She felt relaxed for the first time in recent memory – her back didn't hurt, her stomach wasn't in knots, and she didn't have the gnawing anxiety that something was wrong in the back of her head. For once – she felt normal. More or less, anyway.
She didn't even realize she was past 'buzzed' and solidly into 'tipsy' until Chris said his goodbyes. She stood up and it was like all of the alcohol rushed to her brain. She felt fuzzy and her limbs moved a bit slower than she would have liked.
Chris wrapped his arms around his sister, hugging her tight. "Thanks. I needed that."
"Me too." She smiled softly, looking up at her brother from his chest. "Thanks for dinner."
Chris was silent for a few seconds as he released her. "…you really care about him, don't you?"
Her face flushed. Even after the time apart, her brother could still read her like an open book. "Yeah, I do."
He squeezed her elbow. "Yeah. I saw the way you were looking at him."
"Oh, jeez." She covered her eyes with her palm. "Was it that obvious?"
"Halfway through that second beer, yeah." He ruffled her hair. "I'll check on you tomorrow. Have some water before bed." He opened the door to step outside, pointing a finger at her as he said his next words. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Claire."
She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Chris. Love you."
"Love you." He called back, already partially down the driveway.
"Your brother's nice." Steve smiled softly at Claire as she reappeared in the living room.
"Yeah. Chris is…. He's just a great guy all around." She smiled. "He just wants to help people, I think. That's why he joined S.T.A.R.S in the first place and got into this whole mess. I wouldn't…. have been able to get you into the plane without him. He carried you on his shoulders and made sure you were safe." She heard the words as they came spilling out of her mouth. She couldn't stop them even if she wanted to. "He's the one that flew the plane. He's the one that brought you to Rebecca."
"I'll have to thank him for that." Steve mused. She seemed to be much more open now than before dinner. Relaxed, maybe even genuinely happy. It was a good look on her. "Rebecca, too. I owe them both a lot."
Claire found herself bringing the chair closer to Steve's side and taking his hand in both of hers. She just enjoyed the warmth of his skin for a moment before speaking. Her tone was a bit more somber now. "I'm really glad you're okay."
"You said that already." He teased lightly, trying to keep his stomach from tightening. He felt giddy and nervous – like a kid with a crush.
"I know. But I really mean it."
"Me too."
She was silent for a moment before the words started bubbling out again. "Steve, I've seen a lot of dead bodies. I've been up close and personal with rotting zombies a hundred times over. Too many to count." She spoke quietly, half hoping he wouldn't hear her. "Being locked in that room with you – your body was the worst experience I have had in my life." She spoke as calmly as she could muster despite the tears running down her cheeks. "Knowing I couldn't do anything to help after…" She trailed off as another sob shook her body.
"Claire…" He leaned forward the best he could, wrapping his arms around the older girl's shoulders and holding her the best he could with his very limited range of movement. His ribs ached dully, but he put it out of his mind.
She let a sob slip past her lips and she covered her mouth with her hand. The last thing she wanted to do was get Steve worked up, but the alcohol had done the work of tearing down the last bit of the walls she'd built up.
She didn't know how long she cried before her sobs subsided into occasional whimpers and deep breaths. Pressed up against Steve, even as a blubbering mess, just felt right. He didn't let go until her sobs began to subside. He rubbed her back and wrapped his fingers in the tips of her hair.
"Hey, cheer up, beautiful." He murmured, using his thumb in a wide motion to wipe away the tears still lingering on her cheeks as she looked up at him. "I made a pretty bad zombie, I think."
Claire cracked a small smile, closing her eyes as Steve's fingers brushed her cheek. "Yeah. I thi-nk so, too." She hiccupped lightly, rubbing hard at her eyes.
"I'm here, though. I'm right here. I promise you, Claire, I'm not going anywhere." He leaned his forehead against Claire's, tucking a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. "And I'm okay. You're okay, too."
She sniffled softly and closed her eyes, enjoying his comfort. She'd always played the 'tough' girl, didn't cry, played rough and tumble with the boys. Chris taught her to hold her own in almost any situation; unfortunately a lot of the time, the negative outcome of that meant she bottled her emotions up until she couldn't anymore. It was nice to let the idea that tough girls didn't cry go.
Steve cupped her face in his hands gently, blue eyes studying her face for a moment. "You asked me if I meant …. What I said, at the end."
She nodded with another small sniffle. She was almost afraid of the answer. She didn't want him to say he didn't mean it.
"I did. Claire…." He glanced away from her for a moment, mind racing to settle on the right words. "You are the most… amazing person I think I've ever met. You're smart, and you're funny and you're so strong." He said in a voice hardly above a whisper. "I love you. I love everything about you." He paused and a soft smile formed on his lips. "I'd die for you, you know."