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

Warning: None

Authors Note: Next chapter! I just got back from one of my last conventions on the season, and had a killer time! Of course as soon as I got back I was on a big creativity kick, so hopefully it'll translate into a good chapter later on for you guys! I also finally took official photo's of my RE1 and RE3 Jill cosplays! In any case, enough about me and more about... the contest! Because I had a few people request it, I am extending the deadline for entries to the end of August. So as soon as September 1st hits, the contest is over and judging shall begin! So hopefully this'll help a few of you out! So yes, new deadline for the contest. That's about it- and of course I need to thank all of you for your support! Thanks so much for the reviews/reads/favorites/etc! You are all awesome!

Chapter 24- Tenderness

One night you're here, but next night you're not. It always leaves me searching for a little tenderness. Where is the tenderness- Where is it? ~General Public

Chris woke up in the morning with a slight headache and a black eye to go alongside his heavily bruised nose. It wasn't a pleasant sight, and for a moment Chris was thankful Wesker wasn't beside him to wake up to see that pleasant bruise spread across his nose first thing in the morning.

That was until Chris remembered Wesker was the one who caused the horrible bruising and tenderness, making Chris squirt his toothpaste out and all over the sink in a fit of rage.

"Fucking Wesker…" Chris grumbled to himself as he went to stuff his toothbrush in his mouth, quickly coating his teeth with minty fresh paste as he tried to comb his hair with his free hand- the late night call last night had seriously delved into his sleeping time, and he had only slept another hour before he had to go back to work.

Spitting out the toothpaste, Chris rinsed his mouth and went to inspect his nose, eyebrows furrowed in pain as he gently pushed it, feeling around to see if it was broken. It wasn't, thank god, but that didn't take away from the pain.

"How am I going to explain this?" Chris asked out loud, pouting a little as he put his shirt on, careful to avoid the neck band from running across the bridge of his nose.

**XX**

"Oh my god, Chris! What happened to you?"

Dropping the fake smile, Chris let his grimace show as Mindy ran up to him from her spot near the double doors in the main hall of the RPD. Shoving a few files under her arms, Mindy went to cup Chris' face, making him flinch backward quickly.

"Hey now, don't touch it!" Chris said, taking Mindy's hand in his own. He had been going on the expectation that no one would ask- it wasn't as if he was walking around with a missing arm or anything. Besides, young guys like him got into trouble all the time. A busted nose and a black eye were nothing given his job and his age.

But it seemed like that small notion of hope that no one would say anything was squashed as soon as he had stepped into the station.

"It looks horrible, what did you do to yourself?" she asked once again, squeezing Chris' hand gently.

Glancing down at the floor, Chris thought about last night yet again and had to clench his jaw to prevent himself from letting out another angry growl, or perhaps scream out his anger at Wesker at the top of his lungs in the middle of the station for all to hear. Instead, he kept his composure and looked back up at Mindy.

"Wesker did this to me."

Mindy obviously took the look Chris was sending her as sadness rather than anger as she gasped softly and immediately dragged Chris off in the opposite direction of the STARS office and into a small hallway. Following Mindy's lead, Chris continued to hold onto her hand before she tried to drag him into the women's washroom.

"What the hell, Mindy? I'm not going in there," Chris said, trying to untangle himself from Mindy's tight grip. She didn't seem to listen to him and pulled him in before going to lock the door behind her, the deadbolt sliding into the frame with a resounding slam.

"Wesker did this to you?" she asked as soon as the door was locked and she had turned around to look at Chris.

Shrugging, Chris nodded and went to gently touch his nose. "We got into an argument and it turned violent… as usual."

"Chris…" Mindy frowned and went back to holding Chris' hands as she dumped the folders on the counter. "I see you on a regular basis now with all of these ugly bruises and you talking about something that happened between you two… I'm getting worried about this."

Chris pulled his hands back and stuffed them into his back pockets, a frown appearing on his features. "What do you mean you're getting worried?"

"I don't… well I don't know if this relationship is so healthy, Chris."

"It is fine, Mindy, don't worry. I was the one who attacked him in the first place anyways… He just fought back."

Chris knew that the relationship he had with Wesker wasn't the healthiest thing, but it wasn't as violent as Mindy thought it was. Most of the time he was bruised from a particularly rough sex session they had had the night before, and Mindy just happened to notice his weary face and occasional bruises more than anyone else.

"Chris… that doesn't make it any better and you know that. I just don't want you regretting this later…"

Looking away from Mindy's sympathetic face, Chris stared at the handle of the washroom stall beside him. "It's fine, like I said. We're just really… stubborn guys and sometimes we get a little carried away. I give as much as he gives."

"Yet he never seems to give you back the tenderness you give to him," Mindy said, going to cup Chris' cheek so he was forced to look at her.

Chris didn't want to acknowledge the truth at this point in time, and opted to go down the aggressive route in order to get out of the conversation.

"How do you know, huh? You're not with us all the time we're together- in fact, I think you've only seen us in a work environment, which isn't a lot to go by." Pulling away from her, Chris strode to the door and unlocked the dead bolt just as Mindy tried to reach out to him.

"Chris, just be careful- please?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he said before pulling the door open and leaving the ladies' washroom.

Walking as quickly as he could away from the washroom, Chris hurried to his office, where he was already ten minutes late- something he was sure Wesker would use against him, like he did every time he was late.

Mindy didn't have any idea of what his relationship with Wesker was like and she never would. Just because they got violent didn't mean that they were bad for each other- she was getting the idea that he was a defenceless victim in a domestic violence case and not a young man who was in complete control of his surroundings.

Yes, he was in complete control of everything.

Finally making it into the office, Chris opened the door and closed it quietly before going to sit down heavily in his seat. Shrugging off his jacket, Chris glanced around the room and noticed Wesker staring at him from behind his desk- emotions unreadable.

"You're late… again."

Rolling his eyes, Chris tossed his jacket over the armrest on his chair and nodded. "Yeah, had a late night last night and got into a little trouble."

Barry, this time, looked up from his paperwork and gave Chris a startled look, noticing the bruising on his face. Not meeting Barry's gaze, Chris went right to his paperwork before seeing his badge sitting beside his mouse.

Picking it up, Chris fiddled with it for a second before he remembered that he had forgotten it beside the little girl last night. Jill must have picked it up for him…

Turning around in his chair, Chris tapped her shoulder quickly, glancing every so often in Wesker's direction to make sure he wasn't watching the two of them. He seemed to be concerned with his computer screen at the moment, which was fine for Chris.

"What is it you-" Jill began, only to stop when she turned around to see Chris. "Oh… What happened?"

"Last night happened," Chris said before flashing the badge at her. "Thanks for picking this up for me- I forgot about it."

"Oh… Yeah, just don't forget it again, all right? Wesker will kill you next time," Jill said, frowning as she continued to inspect Chris' nose.

Chris' eyes narrowed once again and looked at Wesker, who was still typing away at a document. He continued to stare at his Captain before Jill poked him again, bringing his attention back to her.

"Hey… At lunch did you want to go somewhere close by and… chat?" Jill asked, her gaze going from Chris to Wesker.

Chris could tell she wanted to talk about last night as much as he wanted to, and Chris nodded in agreement before turning back around just as Wesker stood up and left the room with a sheet of printed paper in his hand.

**XX**

"I'm worried about last night," Jill said, twirling her straw around in her water. "I didn't get any sleep when I got back to my apartment. I kept seeing the little girl, the body, and thinking about what Wesker did… Everything just felt so wrong."

"It felt like a cover-up to me- but don't tell Wesker that or he'll give you a bruised nose and a black eye." Pushing a baby tomato around on his plate, Chris looked out the window of the diner they were in and watched the snow fall, deep in thought.

Jill was just as concerned about the events of last night as he was, and he knew that she was likely to get more involved in finding out why they were told to lie. He wished he could say the same about finding out what had happened, but he didn't when he really thought about it…

Already Chris missed those chaste kisses and knowing looks between them- and it had only been a day since the fight.

He hated Wesker and the effect he had on him.

"I didn't want to say anything, but I figured he was the one who hit you…"

"Yeah, I confronted him about the cover-up and things got a little violent… Not one of my crowning moments, though." Turing his attention to Jill, Chris watched her eyes scan over his half-eaten lunch before she looked back at him, the corner of her lips tense.

"Do you think… think we should say something to someone? Maybe Chief Irons or someone else- or maybe investigate it ourselves?" Jill asked after a time, voice low as she stared intently at Chris.

"No."

Chris said it so quickly he wondered if it had come from his mouth, but when Jill gave him a curious look he realized it was indeed him.

"Look, we don't want to get in trouble, and… well, we can't bring the team apart by doing this, you know? If we can't trust our Captain then what are we as a team?" Chris explained, trying to sway Jill to his side.

"So you still trust Wesker?" she asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

Chris thought for a moment, trying to let their romantic relationship move out of the way so he could answer the question honestly.

"Yeah… yeah, I do," he said after a time, the tight feeling in his chest getting worse.

"Well… well then." Jill nodded once and pushed her plate away. "I guess I will too- but if this happens again I'm going to do something about it."

Chris nodded, having no doubt that she would too- Jill was that kind of person. She wouldn't let personal feelings get in the way of a mission, no matter what.

Chris wished he could say the same about himself.

**XX**

A week had passed since the incident at the Umbrella researcher's house, and things were still as awkward as ever.

Wesker and Chris still hadn't talked to each other on a more personal level- in fact, everything Wesker had said to Chris was all work-related and impersonal, with very little eye contact on both of their parts.

Chris knew Wesker was still upset with him for not trusting him during the mission, and would probably continue to stay upset with him until Chris finally bit the bullet and apologized for something he didn't figure he needed to apologize for in the first place. After all, Wesker was the one who was instigating a cover-up and had bruised Chris' face.

And Chris found himself at odds with talking to Wesker on account of not being able to stop thinking about what Jill and Mindy had said. Firstly, Jill was right- something should have been done about the case. And yet, Chris let his personal feelings get in the way of his judgement, something all cops were trained not to do.

But Chris wanted to trust Wesker, even if all of the signs pointed towards the fact that maybe Wesker wasn't someone who you could really depend upon. But Chris wanted to believe that Wesker was just looking out for his team and that there was a reason he did what he did.

But he still felt sick to his stomach when he really thought about it, and he began to have reservations about his own character- was he that easily overcome by desire?

Then there was the situation with Mindy to top it all off.

As much as he brushed it aside, he couldn't shake what she had said about Wesker showing little tenderness towards Chris. He knew that going into a relationship with Wesker wouldn't be one filled with cuddles and confessions of love, but that didn't mean he wouldn't appreciate some sort of sign that he wasn't just a piece of ass in which to pound whenever Wesker felt like it.

Just once, Chris wanted Wesker to give him some sort of sign- like what he was doing wasn't in vain and that Wesker appreciated him in some small way.

This, of course, made Chris angry with himself yet again for wanting something he knew he would never get. And this once again led him to the train of thought about protecting Wesker and not investigating further into something that was clearly not right.

Why was he so ready to defend someone who, by all accounts, seemed to care very little about their relationship either way?

In the end though, Chris needed to speak to Wesker to get some of his questions answered so he could actually sleep at night.

"You left these at my place last time you were over… They've been washed, by the way."

Standing in front of Wesker's desk after hours, Chris held out a pair of black boxer-briefs in his hand, offering them to Wesker.

Glancing up from his paperwork, Wesker eyed the pair for a moment before reaching out for them slowly. "How do you know they're not yours?"

"I don't wear boxer-briefs… Besides, when we went on that mission you put your pants on without anything on under them, so I figured they were yours." Chris shrugged and let Wesker take them before standing awkwardly in front of his Captain's desk.

Wesker tossed them on the keyboard of his computer and sat back in his chair, inspecting Chris carefully. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses, and Chris figured this was the perfect opportunity to talk to him when he couldn't hide behind the black frames.

"So you had those in your back pocket all day before you could give them to me at an appropriate moment?"

Blushing, Chris frowned and rubbed the back of his neck slowly. "Well I couldn't just pass them to you when everyone was in the office… unless you want everyone to know you regularly take your underpants off in my apartment."

Wesker hummed softly and rested his arm on the armrest of his chair, fingers resting against his chin. "You should wear boxer-briefs more often, you know. They would make your ass look… rather nice."

"Did you learn how to flirt in an English boarding school?" Chris asked, smiling slightly. Making a few jokes might ease the tension between the two, and then he could finally ask Wesker some questions.

"Ha, very funny. Take the compliment or not- it's your choice," Wesker replied as he moved to pick up his pen, ready to do some more paperwork. Unfortunately, that would break any further possible conversation between the two, and Chris hurried over to the other side so he could sit on the desk beside Wesker, distracting him long enough that Chris had a chance to grab the pen out of his hand.

"We need to talk, Wesker…" Chris said, ignoring Wesker's glare.

"Talk about what, Christopher?"

"About the mission a week ago, that's what… I just want to know what went on- why you said it was a heart attack when it clearly wasn't."

Wesker moved subtly toward the sunglasses that were sitting on the desk beside his now-discarded underpants, and Chris quickly cupped Wesker's chin and made the man look at him.

"Nice fucking try- now answer me," Chris growled out, making Wesker violently swat Chris' hand away.

"I said it once and I'll say it again- there is no need for you to know. Trust me when I say ignorance is bliss," Wesker said, standing up to go to the fax machine with a stack of papers in his hands.

"Not when it deals with a suicide mission you brought Jill and me on. We were just as much a part of the mission as you were, and we don't enjoy being left in the dark. You do it once to us and then what- every mission we go on we've gotta wear earplugs and blindfolds?" Throwing his arms out, Chris realized his voice was reaching new levels, confusion and annoyance getting the better of him.

"I think you're being a tad dramatic, dear heart," Wesker mumbled as he pushed buttons on the fax, distracting himself from Chris' antics.

"I'm not being dramatic, Wesker! God, how much can I trust you when you do stuff like this? You're my Captain and my lover, and yet I don't know if I should trust what you say anymore!"

Dropping the sheets on the table beside the fax, Wesker looked over at Chris, eyes narrowed. "Firstly, quiet down. Do you want the entire RPD knowing that we're sleeping together? Secondly, you're just going to have to trust me without me explaining certain things to you. Some things are better left unsaid so deal with it in a rational manner and stop talking about it."

"I'll stop talking about it when we can move on from this," Chris said, quieting down a fraction as Wesker resumed his faxing.

"You're the one who can't move on from it. I would have been more than happy to resume our regular fuck sessions, but you're the one who had to make the situation much bigger than it actually is," Wesker mumbled as the last sheet was faxed.

But what Wesker said was the last straw for Chris, and he leapt up from Wesker's desk, a growl escaping his lips. "So that is all you think of this relationship as being? Just putting up with me so you can get into my pants later?"

"Now you're acting like a put-out woman, stop it," Wesker said, going back to his desk while avoiding Chris.

"No, I'm not! I just want some sort of sign that you actually care about me on some small level- that I'm more than just a fuck buddy and your subordinate. Just give me a sign, Wesker, please?"

There was tension in the air between the two men, and Wesker slowly put down the stack, eyes watching the motion carefully as Chris continued to stare at Wesker. It looked like Wesker was about to say something before the phone on Chris' desk began to ring loudly, snapping both of their attention to it.

"You should answer it…" Wesker said after the third ring as Chris continued to stare at it.

Glancing at Wesker, Chris nodded and hurried to his desk, picking it up just in time.

"Hello, Officer Redfield speaking," Chris said, using his professional tone before he heard the voice on the other end.

"Chris? Good, I'm glad I got a hold of you- I tried your apartment but I got no answer so I tried here even though some people said you might have left for home." Chris' aunt's voice carried through to him clearly, and he could hear heavy emotion in her voice coupled with weariness.

"Hey, Aunt Lily… What's up?" Chris asked slowly, sitting down in his office chair.

"Now, Chris, I don't want you freaking out or anything when I tell you this, so please stay calm… Claire was in a motorcycle accident earlier today."

Chris' heart stopped for a moment, and all of the blood from his face left, giving him a deathly pallor in seconds. Claire… his baby sister… in an accident?

No, no, this wasn't happening.

"I-is she okay?" Chris stuttered out, panic in his voice despite his aunt telling him to stay calm. This was his sister she was talking about, how was he supposed to stay calm?

"Yes, she's okay. She has some road rash and a broken arm, but she's okay. She wasn't going that fast and managed to avoid the truck that swerved into her lane without notice." Despite his aunt telling him Claire was okay, it did little to ease his nerves. He didn't even notice Wesker had come and was sitting in the middle of his desk, watching him carefully.

"Is she in pain? Like, was she crying or anything? P-please tell me she didn't cry," Chris said, running a shaky hand through his hair. He hated that he couldn't see her right now- couldn't be there to hold her hand.

He was supposed to protect her…

"Chris, she's a tough girl. She's asleep right now- we just got back from the hospital. She was actually coming down to visit us when it happened, so we were able to pick her up from the hospital once she was cleaned up," Lily explained, and Chris could finally hear the relief in her voice that he seemed to have blocked out before. "She probably won't be able to talk tonight, but call tomorrow morning and you can speak with her, all right?"

"Y-yeah… yeah, I'll call tomorrow as soon as I can… A-and tell her I love her when she wakes up, okay?" Chris said, desperate to talk to her but knowing she must be exhausted.

"I will… And Chris? Don't worry too much- she's okay, all right?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Aunt… I love you too."

Hanging up the phone, Chris looked at it for what felt like an eternity, deep in thought. Claire was all right, but it was a close call. He knew she should have never bought a motorcycle, and he certainly knew that she shouldn't be driving it in the winter, even if they were having warm weather down where she lived.

Suddenly feeling a hand on his shoulder, Chris' gaze snapped up to Wesker's concerned face before going to wrap his arms around Wesker's waist, pulling him close.

Resting his head half on his arm and half on Wesker's thigh, Chris could feel him tense for a moment before he relaxed slightly, as if to give Chris the go-ahead to continue resting there.

"My baby sister was in a motorcycle accident…" Chris mumbled after a time, squeezing Wesker's waist like he was a pillow.

"Is she all right?" Wesker asked, his voice unusually soft. Fingers ran through Chris' hair soon enough, and occasionally Chris felt the pad of Wesker's thumb rub behind his ear, as if to sooth him.

And just like that, all of the tension, frustration, and guilt between the two were gone- simple as that. Instead, it was replaced with Wesker giving Chris that much-needed sign he was so desperate for moments ago.

"Yeah… She broke her arm and she's got road rash… but she's okay. I just wish I could talk to her- to make sure she really is okay and that this isn't some fucked up dream like I thought the last time this happened was…"

"Last time?"

Sighing softly, Chris continued to rest his head on Wesker's thigh, eyes open as he stared off at the door to the hallway outside.

"When I was seventeen… my parents died in a car accident. I… well I tried to convince myself that it wasn't real- that it was all just a dream. But it wasn't… I had lost my parents and I only had Claire left with me. And I was so scared… scared I would lose her too…

"So I vowed to protect her no matter what- that she would never get hurt because I would stop it, that I would protect her from everything harmful… I didn't want her to ever experience the pain of losing someone ever again…"

There was silence after that as Wesker's fingers continued to slowly comb through Chris' messy locks, his movements becoming more sure as he eased into the unfamiliar motion.

"There would have been nothing you could do to stop that, dear heart… You can't protect her from everything- she's a growing woman who will need to learn things for herself, otherwise she will have never really lived…" Wesker said after a time.

Sighing yet again, Chris mulled over what Wesker said, wishing that Claire didn't have to experience the bad things in life. "I'm just so afraid of losing her… of losing anyone who I care about."

"We all are, Chris…" Lifting Chris' chin up, Wesker traced Chris' jaw line slowly, making Chris look at him. "But you're going to destroy yourself with all of this worry you carry around. You're far too young for this."

"Says the guy who's going to have a heart attack at forty," Chris said, trying to smile.

Chris noticed a slight raise in the corner of Wesker's mouth, and figured that was the best smile he would get tonight. Unwrapping his arms from Wesker's waist, Chris stood up and cleared his throat, trying to break away from the previous emotions he had let consume him for a time.

"Don't tell anyone… about this- about what I said," Chris said as Wesker stood up as well.

"Who would I tell?" Wesker asked, but didn't wait for Chris to reply before he kissed him gently. Wrapping his arms around Wesker, Chris pulled him close and deepened the kiss, mouth parting easily for him.

Chris had missed this, as much as he hated to admit it. But he had desperately wanted to kiss Wesker again- to feel that now-familiar body pressed against his own. It was reassuring and… right.

It was some time before they broke, and Chris pulled away to stand a slight distance apart, hand holding onto Wesker's own. "Can you… can you come back to my place tonight? I don't want to be alone right now… I think I'll make myself go crazy with 'what if's' if I don't have someone else with me…"

"I have a lot of paperwork to finish up that needs to be done, so I don't think it would be wise tonight. I'm sorry, Christopher," Wesker said, looking over his shoulder at his desk.

"Y-yeah, I get it. Well, I should be going home now… so I'll see you on Monday?" Chris pulled away from Wesker and went to grab his jacket, throwing it on as Wesker watched.

It was worth a try…

"Yes, I will see you Monday- don't be late again."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't…" Chris sent Wesker a shaky smile and made movement towards the door before he heard a heavy sigh come from behind him, followed by a 'wait'.

Turning around, Chris watched Wesker go to his desk and grab his jacket, putting it on before stuffing his underwear in one pocket and his keys in the other.

"I'll only neglect my paperwork this once," Wesker mumbled out as he went to open the door with Chris following behind, a smile tugging at his lips.

**XX**

Wesker had one more surprise up his sleeve later that night when they reached Chris' apartment. When they got back, Chris immediately stripped down to his boxers and curled up on his bed while Wesker snagged a pair of pajama bottoms from Chris' dresser before going into the bathroom.

Laying in bed, Chris found himself watching his closed bathroom door, a crack from under the door letting in a small sliver of light. Some time passed before Wesker appeared, all of the gel in his hair gone while wearing only the pair of borrowed pajama bottoms. Turning the light off, Chris followed Wesker's tracks by watching the shadows in the room change.

Curling up into a ball, Chris felt the mattress dip down beside him and prepared himself for the inevitable back turn. Wesker always fell asleep with his back turned to Chris, making Chris resort to having to wrap his arms around Wesker's waist to feign some sort of intimacy.

But this time, Chris felt strong arms wrap around his waist and his back pressed up against an equally strong chest. Tangling their legs together, Wesker kissed Chris' neck gently before finally settling.

"I expect sex when you're feeling better. It's customary, is it not?" Wesker mumbled in the darkness.

"Hot, sweaty, make-up sex?" Chris replied, a small smile forming on his lips as he leaned against Wesker.

"Mm, exactly…" Wesker said, and Chris could already feel himself drifting off to sleep.

Maybe things would work between them… Maybe if Wesker continued to show a little tenderness.

Seeing as how last chapter Wesker was such a DICK, I thought I'd even out his behavior a little with some tenderness! Just because I think if Wesker was 100% dickish all the time, Chris wouldn't put up with it for very long and break it off pretty early. And we don't want that, do we? No, we want Chris to enjoy his time with his sociopath boyfriend! Yay~! Anywho's another chapter done, and one step closer to zombies! Or not! I've had a few people ask when the mansion incident will happen, but it wont be for a while. Like I said, I want to take time with this story and I don't want to speed ahead TOO fast. I've asked my beta numerous times if the pace of the story is going well, and she said it is, so hopefully it doesn't drag out and leave you guys bored! Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks once again!