Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below piece of fiction, Capcom does.

Warning: Nothing

Authors Note: Hey-o! Another chapter here! Hope you enjoy this one as much as you can, especially given the last one had everything you guys were waiting for! Nothing much to say, though, other than the fact that I am so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! And thanks so much for all of the reviews, favorites, watches, etc. I really, really appreciate it! You guys are all... fabulous!

Chapter 15- Relationships

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough~

Chris felt like he was in a cocoon of warmth and safety.

An inviting and pleasant feeling ran through his body, the effects of sleep keeping a lasting hold on him. He didn't want to fully wake up at that moment; he didn't even want to roll over in fear that the motion would cause him to knock some sense into his sleep-addled brain.

No, he was quite content to keep his face stuffed in an unfamiliar pillow while a dark blanket stayed wrapped around his nude form, shielding him from the morning light that was creeping through the blinds and into the bedroom.

But of course, all good things must come to an end, and when Chris felt his leg cramping he was forced to move. Wincing slightly as he kicked his leg out, he suddenly found a rather dull ache accompany the action- only the dull ache was placed in an unfamiliar territory to have such a pain.

Ah yes, anal sex- it brought so much joy in the morning.

Groaning, Chris rolled so he was on his back, eyes still squeezed shut. Last night…

Heavy pants, rough grabs, searing kisses, and a decision that would change his life in a simple cascade of pleasure.

Opening his eyes, Chris stared up at the white-washed ceiling before daring to look beside him at the empty place on the bed. He had wanted to see Wesker… but it wasn't like he had really expected it.

That didn't take away from the constricting feeling in his chest, though.

Trying to sit up, Chris found his arms locked under the blanket, which he had managed to curl around himself two or three times, and briefly wondered if he had stolen the blankets from his companion last night while flailing in order to release himself from the cover cocoon.

Finally succeeding, Chris sat up and swung his legs over so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. A moment passed where he just stared at the floor, unwilling to think about what it meant to have Wesker non-existent in his own apartment when he heard a sound coming from the kitchen.

Glancing over the floor quickly, Chris spotted his boxers and stood up, grabbing them and throwing them on before shuffling out of the room and into the living room.

There, hunched over the countertop in the kitchen, was Wesker, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he hastily scribbled something down on a white slip of paper. He was fully dressed in a well pressed suit, hair back in regular order, and sunglasses perched upon his nose as per usual.

He looked decidedly the same.

Chris had, for some strange reason, expected Wesker to look… different. After what had happened between the two of them he thought that maybe Wesker would no longer hold that appeal- the itch he had would have left and he would continue on his merry heterosexual ways without worrying about these new feelings.

Or, perhaps, he had expected to see Wesker on a more intimate level, like he could really see into him- read him like a book. Unfortunately for Chris, Wesker was just as guarded as he was last night, even when they were bare and pressed together in the most intimate way.

Wesker was just… Wesker.

Granted, his was still incredibly handsome, dangerously volatile, and all together beautiful.

But still… it was the same old Albert Wesker. Only now Chris could daydream with an intimate knowledge behind what he looked like under his STARS uniform, which wasn't an all together unpleasant idea.

Tearing his gaze from the paper before him, Wesker glanced up to see Chris standing awkwardly in the living room, hand behind his head as he scratched an itch, mouth slightly open after finishing a yawn.

"Oh, I didn't hear you get up," Wesker stated, making a fist around the sheet of paper he had previously been writing on. Tossing the crumpled ball into a waste-bin beside the fridge, Wesker straitened his tie and moved from behind the counter to go towards the door.

"I was just writing you a note to explain where I had gone to. I have a meeting I must attend today, so you may eat what you would like in the fridge and then, unfortunately, you'll have to walk home."

"Uh… it's Saturday," Chris replied, hand dropping to his side as he observed how collected Wesker was.

Ever calm and collected- bastard.

"Yes it is- a remarkable observation. But you know well enough that the men we deal with in our business care little if it is the weekend or not. Besides, I do not enjoy sleeping in." Grasping the briefcase that was beside the door, Wesker moved to exit the room and walked halfway out before pausing.

Turning around, he looked over the edge of his sunglasses at Chris, eyes scanning before a smirk appeared at his lips.

"You seem to have your boxers on inside out… oh, and they're also backwards."

And with that he was gone, leaving Chris standing alone in the middle of the living room with his boxers on backwards. Staring at the door, Chris stayed still for quite a while before sighing softly.

It wasn't the morning wakeup he had hoped for.

Turning around, he made his way back to the bedroom, where he gathered his clothes and threw them on hastily, not even bothering to put his underwear back on in working order- he would worry about that when he was a little more… clean.

Returning to the living room, Chris snatched his jacket off the back of the couch from where it had been placed the night before, and moved to put it on before pausing mid-arm swing. His jacket had been lying under Wesker's own all night, and the cologne he liked so much permeated the material of his coat ever so slightly.

Sighing yet again, Chris put it on and left the apartment, wrapping his jacket further around his form. Walking down the hallway to the elevator Chris pushed the down button and waited for a short while until the doors opened with a now familiar ding.

Stepping into the empty elevator, he leant against the wall in the corner and tried not to smell his own jacket. The elevator only went down another floor before it opened again, revealing the mother from the night before. She stepped in and stood on the other side, glancing back and forth from the door to Chris- eyes leaving quickly as soon as Chris' locked with hers.

"You want something?" Chris snapped out, irritation from the morning mounting more and more. God damn, why did Wesker just leave like that? Didn't he… no, obviously he didn't care.

Jumping at the outburst, the woman curled further into the corner. "I was… well I've never seen you before and you were going upstairs with Mr. Wesker last night… and well—" she began, an evident stutter in her voice.

"Wondering what our relationship is? Well we fucked, but apparently that doesn't matter to a dick like him- I bet he takes guys' anal virginity all the time and I was just another notch on his bedpost," Chris spat out, venom and frustration in his voice.

Storming out of the door as it opened and into the lobby, Chris didn't even pay attention to the frightened mother, whose eyes were wide as she hugged her jacket close.

She would never ask about her upstairs neighbour again.

Throwing open the main door, Chris strode out of the building and hurried down the street, the cold from the snow quickly chilling him to the bone. Shoving his hands in his pockets, another blast of cologne invaded his senses, making him even angrier.

He shouldn't be feeling like this- he shouldn't be so angry that Wesker hadn't done something or recognized the fact that they had been intimate last night. He knew that Wesker wasn't interested in him on more than a physical way- or had he?

Chris now realized that he wished Wesker would want him for more than just sex… that maybe he wanted Wesker to deem him worthy as a companion as well.

Chris also realized that maybe he was just blowing things out of proportion. Wesker had a meeting to attend, which would prevent any resting in bed together… but when he woke up, Wesker hadn't even touched him once, hadn't given him a kiss, hadn't done anything except keep his distance from him.

And then he just had to point out the underwear issue like a smug bastard.

Turning a corner, Chris continued towards his home, thoughts a whirlwind.

**XX**

Fiddling with his coffee stick, Chris looked outside the window of the coffee shop, small snowflakes drifting down to coat the frozen street. Letting out a soft sigh, Chris closed his eyes and broke the stick in half.

The first snowfall of the season- and it was early too. October was just ending…

Sitting across from him was the ever patient Mindy, tea in her hands as she watched Chris pout, the occasional sigh escaping his lips. All of the anger he had towards Wesker was now replaced with confusion and disappointment, leaving him in a state of self-pity.

"You're going to have to tell me at some point in time, Chris." Mindy took a sip of her tea and watched Chris slowly open his eyes before turning to look at her, as if he finally recognized the fact that she was there.

"Tell you what?"

"I don't know, but when you call me up out of the blue on a Saturday to 'talk' I figured something was up."

Tossing the broken stick onto the table, Chris shoved his coffee cup from side to side, watching the liquid swirl around.

"I slept with Wesker last night."

A gasp was heard across from him, and Chris had to look up to see Mindy- eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"A-and… how do you feel?" she finally asked, putting her tea down on the table, gaze never leaving Chris.

Truth be told, Chris really didn't know what to think or feel anymore. The sex was amazing- Chris felt it safe to say it was the best sex he had ever had. He liked how rough it was- how passionate it felt- and he actually liked the feeling of Wesker inside him, no matter how 'girly' that sounded.

But despite the amazing sex and that afterglow feeling that lasted for hours, Chris now felt empty.

He hadn't fully expected Wesker to stay in bed with him and cuddle in the morning. To share intimate and slow kisses as they greeted the dawn.

He hadn't expected it, but that didn't mean he didn't want it.

The realization that he wanted to be with Wesker, as in be with him for not only the sex but everything else that a relationship came with, frightened Chris to a certain extent.

The thought of a relationship seemed foreign to him, and it left a tight feeling in his chest like his heart was trying to stop him from doing anything stupid.

And the thoughts about relationships would have been bad enough, but Chris was still wrestling with the morning that had followed.

Wesker had just… left. He had acted like he didn't even care what happened- like it never happened. He had reverted back to his stoic and reserved self, not even acknowledging the fact that he had just mercilessly stripped Chris of his, in many respects, virginity.

After going home to shower and get a pair of clean clothes to wear, Chris had called Mindy up in order to talk to her. She was the only person who knew about his situation with Wesker, and he trusted her enough to speak to her. Besides, it wasn't like he could very well go to Barry and talk to him about it- that would just be… bad.

"I feel… strange," Chris finally said, frowning.

"Strange?"

"Yeah… like… I don't know if I should have done it, but at the same time I'm glad I did."

"Oh… well… was it any good? I mean the sex part," she asked, scooting closer so she was literally sitting at the edge of her seat.

"Yeah, it was… it was really good, actually," Chris began, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I mean, it hurt when he first… you know, and it was… different. But I liked it."

"And yet you don't seem entirely happy."

"I'm… I'm not." Sighing, Chris fiddled with the broken stick, eyebrows furrowed close together. "This is going to sound really… girly, but I feel kind of put out."

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked, reaching across to snatch the stick that was becoming even more mutilated due to Chris' ministrations.

"Well, when I woke up this morning, Wesker was already awake and dressed and he just… took off. Like, he left like nothing had happened at all. I don't expect him to talk about his feelings or anything, but…" Running a hand through his messy hair, Chris shook his head, anger coming out in his speech. "I don't know what I want- forget it, it's stupid."

"No, come on Chris, don't close up on me now," she said, a sad frown creasing the corner of her mouth.

"I just… I wish that he had at least recognized in some way what had happened. And I, rather naïvely, figured that maybe… maybe something would change between us for the better. I mean, I want… I want…"

"A relationship with him?" Mindy asked.

No, that was completely out of the question. A relationship with Wesker was ridiculous- stop thinking about it.

Chris' gaze returned to the window for a moment as snow began to pile up outside, wind doing little to blow it away. "Maybe… maybe I really do want to be with him in… in a different way… I am so fucking screwed."

Everyone in the coffee shop heard the sound of Chris' forehead as it made contact with the table before him.

**XX**

When Chris finally returned home, nursing a bruised ego and forehead, he returned to the sound of a phone ringing. Throwing his jacket on his couch, Chris slowly made his way to the wall, snatching the phone out of its cradle with a little more force than necessary.

"Chris Redfield speaking," he sighed out, slouching against the wall.

"Chris, where the hell have you been? We've been calling all afternoon!" Barry's voice boomed over the other end, exasperation mixed with excitement coursing through his words.

"I was… out, with a friend. Why, what's going on?"

"Jill's been invited to the meeting tonight with that damn TAP group. We're going to get Jill to wear a hidden recording device so we can record the entire meeting, and the new guy Richard and I were going to sit in the back of a police van and listen in- we'll be back-up if things get shifty, yah know?"

"Oh, well that's great… and how am I included?" Chris asked, lacking his usual enthusiasm.

"Remember when Captain Wesker assigned you to this case alongside Jill a week ago? You were all excited before he told you that you weren't going undercover and were to simply act as back-up when the need came? Any of that ring any bells, Chris?"

"Oh yeah… forgot," Chris mumbled.

"Are you okay? You sound… different," Barry asked, concern evident in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm all good. I'll meet you at the RPD, okay?"

"Sounds good… Oh, and Chris- buck up, would yah? You sound like you've been put through the ringer and we need you on alert."

"Yeah, yeah…" Chris grumbled, hanging up after their goodbyes were said.

Maybe this case would distract him from the day's events, Chris thought as he wandered into his bedroom to snag his gun holsters and STARS badge. If anything, it was an excuse to get to know Richard more and also apologize to Jill for dragging her into that all together idiotic affair.

But it did get him laid.

But getting laid was what got him in this mess in the first place.

Yes, that damn drawer in Wesker's desk was the cause of all these problems.

With this less than reasonable thought in mind, Chris took a deep, calming breath and opened the door to his apartment and left, ready for some action of the work variety.

Yay! More action of the work variety! I try and make the story not ALL about Chris and Wesker's relationship- I love to include things about the STARS, seeing as how almost all of them are dead in the actual game! So yeah, not a lot of Chris and Wesker interaction, and the stuff that there was has left Chris super confused, but don't worry, you'll get more build up between the two in the next chapter! So thanks once again for reading/reviewing/etc.! We're almost at 200 reviews and I owe it all to you guys!

Oh, and as an aside- In the future, I will be looking for someone who speaks French (not French Canadian, but Standard French) to help me write some of the upcoming chapters. This wont be for a while, but I'll need some to help me write certain sentences. So, if you speak French and are able to translate English into French, please contact me via PM so we may speak further! Thank you in advance!