Hey ! It's my first resident evil fanfic, it's set before the events of RE 0 and RE 1.
It's WeskerXChris, and a bit of BirkinXWesker, but you can read that in a romantic way or in a friendship way.
It's not like William Birkin was jealous.
No, he was just… Annoyed.
Albert Wesker and him had been friends and colleagues for more than twenty years. They had collaborated on a huge number of experiments, they had worked together all day and all night for months. Before he met Annette, Wesker was practically the only person he has a real human relationship with. Someone who listened to him and shared his ideals, someone he could discuss everything with.
They had even murdered their mentor, Dr. Marcus, together, damn it. The doctor had tried to sow discord between them in every way, but he had just ended up making them closer.
There had been his relationship with Annette, the wedding and Sherry's birth, and thing hadn't changed. Then Wesker had been charged with the task of creating and leading the S.T.A.R.S., but things still hadn't changed. Wesker somehow always found time to go to Birkin's home at evening, o meeting him at the labs.
In the last three months, however, things had changed.
It had been imperceptible, at the beginning.
Wesker showed up less, or he bailed at the last minute. And he looked almost… Not happier, not that, but lighter, more relaxed.
Birkin had started to feel neglected. Was it possible that Wesker had found another friend in that gang of dumb cops he had assembled? Ridiculous. And yet they had gone from seeing each other twice a week, to meeting once a month, if all went well.
One evening, during a dinner, Sherry had accidentally knocked over a plate on Wesker, smearing all his shirt. While Annette scolded the child, they had gone to the bedroom, where Wesker had undressed and William had lend him one of his shirts, commenting that it would have been probably too small.
He had turned and had noticed something on Wesker's pale skin, something that for a second he had mistaken for a bruise. But then he had understood. It was a hickey.
He had acted like nothing had happened and had not talked about it, but he finally had a clue.
Birkin knew Wesker sometimes had really brief sexual relationships with other people, but they had never really talked about it. They weren't the type of men that sit in a bar and brag about stuff like that.
However, a relationship would have explained the sudden unavailability of his friend.
Who could it be? A secretary of the police? A neighbor?
Birkin had decided to not think too hard about it. Like all the others, it would have been a short thing, a flash in the pan.
But a week later, Wesker had failed to show up at all for the meeting at the labs. Birkin had waited for him for hours, before giving up and going home. He had ignored Sherry's joyful greeting and hugs, and had taken a shower, trying to calm down, but ending up becoming even more irritated and angry. Wesker had never behaved in this way, and if he had to skip one of their meetings, he had least called first.
This time, nothing at all.
The next morning he showed up at Wesker's apartment. Wesker opened the door without smiling.
"William? What's happ…"
"Where were you last night?"
"I'm n…"
"We had a meeting at the labs. Did you forget?" Birkin spat in a venomous tone
Wesker didn't reply. So he had actually forgotten about it.
It was absurd, really. Wesker never forgot anything, he was a genius, just like Birkin. What was happening?
"I waited hours for you, you know."
"I was making coffee." Wesker replied coldly, heading toward the kitchen.
Birkin followed him: he had rarely been in his friend's apartment. Everything was clean and tidy, and despite the fact that Wesker had lived there for years, it was still impersonal like an interior design magazine.
Wesker poured coffee in a small cup and sat down. It was weird seeing him without sunglasses and with uncombed hair. He probably had just gotten out of bed.
"You could at least call, yesterday."
Wesker took a sip. "I had a mishap." He admitted flatly. "Nothing to worry about."
Birkin inhaled, trying to calm down. He knew sometimes he got caught up with his paranoiac thoughts and his quirks. Maybe it was just a thing inside his head, after all.
He held a yawn. He could not remember how long he had been awake. How many hours? Twenty-five? Thirty? Sometimes, when he was very busy with a project, he simply forgot to sleep and eat.
If there had not been Wesker when they were young, and now Annette, to remind him to care about himself, Birkin might have killed himself by starvation and lack of sleep.
"Alright, then." He said. "I was just… It doesn't matter. See, some days ago some agents from Spencer arrived, and communicated to all the staff that, without…"
He stopped, because an unknown guy had just appeared at the door of the kitchen.
He could not have been more than twenty-five. He wore grey pants and a black T-shirt Birkin was sure belonged to his friend.
Silence fell and the boy ran a hand through his hair, glancing nervously at Wesker.
"Ehm, hi." He said.
"William, this is…"
"I'm Chris, nice to meet you." Said the boy. He came forward with his hand outstretched, and was illuminated by the morning light coming from the windows. He was attractive, if you liked that type: an honest face, brown hair, a little taller than Birkin and brawny.
For a moment he considered to leave him there and not shake his hand, but then he did it the same.
"William Birkin." He muttered.
Chris tried to say something, but Birkin had more pressing matters to think about. "You could have told me you weren't alone." He hissed at Wesker.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted something…" Chris said.
"Don't worry, Chris." Wesker finally said. "William is a an old friend of mine, we should have met last night but unfortunately I was busy."
The boy looked away, embarrassed.
Birkin could not believe it. Now all the pieces of the puzzle were in place: the hickey, the fact that both looked like they had just woken up, the slight submissive attitude that Chris had towards his friend.
Wesker was having an affair with a member of S.T.A.R.S.
"Yeah, I imagine how busy you were." Said Birkin, trying to sound normal.
He examined Chris from head to toe. He didn't look different from any local guy, with an all-American-face. What did Wesker find in him? How long was this affair going on?
"Well, I… I'm going back to the bedroom. It was nice to meet you." Said Chris.
"My pleasure." Birkin whispered. The boy gave him a worried look and disappeared.
"There was no need for all this mummery." Said Wesker. He looked almost amused, and this offended Birkin.
"A mummery? Are you kidding me? Who's that?"
"Chris. One of my S.T.A.R.S. subordinates." Replied Wesker, standing up and tilting his head.
"And… How long…?"
"Not long, around four months."
Birkin narrowed his eyes. Four whole months. It was long, for a man who never had lasting relationships.
"Have you gone mental? This is so unwise." Hissed Birkin.
Wesker sighed, and walked towards the door. "I don't think it's your business who I sleep with, William."
"Yes, it is. So you risk your cover? And everything we've worked for over the years? What if he finds out?"
Wesker smiled, stopping in front of the door of his apartment. "You're too paranoid, you've always been. He knows nothing, and above all, he's not that important."
You're literally sending me away to be alone with him, and he's not that important? Birkin looked away.
He really wanted to believe his friend. He said to himself that it was, almost certainly, only a temporary affair. Soon Wesker would get bored and he would dump the boy. Maybe Chris would have reacted badly, maybe he would have attempted to attack Wesker, and they could have him kidnapped and experimented on. He was an excellent specimen, young and strong… Birkin would have found a particular enjoyment in stabbing him with needles.
"What are you gonna do today? You have the day off, right? You could come to the lab, there's a serum I wanted to show you…"
"I'm sorry." Wesker raised his eyebrows and glanced at the bedroom. "Maybe tomorrow."
Birkin left slamming the door.
Hope you liked this
I'll probably write another chapter, with Chris' POV.