With RE 8 events on the horizon, it's time to wrap up the little subplot that has been going on lol. For those that have been patiently waiting for Maurice to get his. You're welcome, and this chapter is for you. Love you all thanks for sticking around for 40 chapters of this x'D You're all amazing and I appreciate all the support!
Song Suggestion: Jealous (Ain't With It) by Chromeo
Disclaimer: I own nothing CapCom Plz don't hurt me ovq/
Auto Beta Publishing's 37th Annual Company Cookout!
Sunday, August 2nd from 11:30 AM to 3 pm
Join us for our annual catered cookout.
Fun for the whole family!
Face painting, bouncy houses, and games for the kids
Beer, Raffles, and Contests for the adults
Vegetarian options available on request
Emma looked at the flyer again before checking over her outfit, a simple cold-shoulder sundress with sandals and the same floppy hat from the beach trip last year. She smiled and gave a nod of approval before locking up her apartment and heading over to Chris' apartment.
"Heya, ready to head out?" she asked after opening the door.
"Just about," Chris said while he finished writing on a piece of paper, which he folded up and brought with him as he grabbed his keys and placed both items into his pocket. "Okay, now I'm ready." He walked over to join her in the hallway and gave her a peck. "I'll drive if you navigate."
Emma chuckled at that but nodded. "All right. I'll repeat the instructions that Siri has already said," she agreed and they headed out.
It took some driving but the two arrived around noon to find that the company had rented out a few pavilions at a park along with the open fields between them to set up other activities. The field seemed to be well divided between the 'for the kids' section and the 'for employees' section. It looked like a pretty standard corporate event. There were bounce houses, face painting, and small colorful booths with simple games like ring toss and the like for the kids. A large stage was set up where a live band was playing cover music, while a dunk tank and other usual event gimmicks were also present. But there was one unusual addition… what looked like three or four portable batting cages made of chain-link fencing were lined up at the far end of the field with scratched-up wooden bullseye targets set up at the far end of each.
"They always have to have some sort of trendy gimmick at these events," Emma said, amused, as a small smile crossed her lips. "You know your job is boring when the event planner thinks that free beer isn't enough to get people to show up." She gave Chris a playful grin and he chuckled and shook his head.
"You sure you don't want to give it a try? They might still have a few blank waivers," Chris asked as he fished the paper from before out of his pocket.
"Nah, that's just not my cup of tea. I'll go with you and see how you do, though. I think that first prize for the throwing contest is some sort of gift card," she said after waving him off. "Did you want to do that first? It seems like that has the shorter line at the moment, compared to the food and drinks."
"Eh, might as well. I'm not hungry yet anyway," he said and walked with her to get in line.
"Fair enough, you usually eat a late lunch, right?" Emma asked as to pass the time.
"Yeah, it just breaks up the day better since I have usually drills in the afternoon," he replied as they continued waiting, only for Chris' phone to go off. He pulled it out and checked it to find a message from Ethan.
[Ethan] Meet Rosemary Winters
[Ethan] -img file of Mia holding a tiny newborn-
"Huh, figured that would be any day now," Chris said aloud, which got Emma's attention.
"What's up?" Emma asked curiously.
Hmm. Was he able to talk about this? This was technically his personal phone, so Ethan was sending this to Chris, not to Alpha as a BSAA report. Should be fine so long as he didn't say it was work-related or give any additional info... With that, he showed Emma the phone. "A friend of mine just sent a text is all."
"Awww tiny baby," Emma cooed upon seeing the picture. "That's such great news, and everyone's healthy?" she asked as Chris took the phone back to look at the picture. He wasn't really sure what part of the picture earned that kind of reaction from Emma. The newborn looked more like a blood-stained raisin to him.
"He hasn't said as much, but it seems so," Chris said with a shrug.
The two continued to chat and after a good ten minutes or so, they'd made a decent amount of progress through the line. The pair eventually caught the eye of one of Emma's co-workers assisting with tracking the scores for the contest while the outside company they hired for set up focused on giving safety instructions.
Maurice smiled before noticing that Emma was walking alongside some guy he didn't recognize. Maybe he was from a different department? He shook the thought from his mind before looking to one of the other volunteers. "Hey I'm going to take five real quick," he said and they nodded.
"Sure, man. Just get back when you can okay," they said, and shifted to cover for him for the requested time.
"It'll just be a few minutes," he affirmed before turning to leave. "Thanks"
Emma eventually noticed movement from the corner of her eye and saw Marice walking over. Cue the internal screaming. No, nope, this is fine. It isn't the office. He's not your boss right now.
"Em, hey. Good to see you," Maurice said as he walked over, eventually stopping in front of her and Chris. "Honestly, you're just the person I was hoping to see. I got my hands tied right now, could you grab me a beer real quick?" he asked with a smile, feeling oh-so-clever. He'd get a drink without having to leave his post and it would get her away from whoever the potential show-off next to her was.
And the internal screaming returned as Emma fought back the feeling of her eye starting to twitch. The bullshit has now left the office. Ugh, he was a volunteer at the moment, though, and the lines were long. "Fine. I'll be right back. Chris, do you want anything?" she asked.
Chris immediately picked up on her irritation. "No, I'm fine," Chris said with a concerned and slightly confused expression as he looked from Emma to whoever this guy was.
"I'll be back." Eventually. She was getting herself a drink too. With that, she walked off.
Maurice gave a short chuckle, waiting to make sure Emma was out of earshot. "Ah, office wives. They're cute," he said with a slight smile. "Hate to watch her go but love to watch her leave, am I right?" He gently nudged Chris with his elbow, speaking in what Chris hoped was a joking tone.
Whoooa not okay. The he—"What?" Chris snapped as the line moved forward slightly. Who the shit was this and why was he trying to pull some 'territory marking' bull with Emma in front of him? Easy, calm collected, maybe this guy just thinks that Emma is married? You know, a wife who works at an offi—
Maurice moved forward to wait with Chris since he was asked a question. "Hm? Oh, office wives. You know a female co-worker that goes and cleans up after you at the office, gets your coffee and takes care of your files and shit," Maurice explained, assuming that Chris just didn't know what the term meant, which was partially accurate. "What department are you in? I can help you find one," Maurice offered in another silent message of 'back off' at Chris. Again, they both moved forward a few steps.
Ha. No. No, No. "I don't work for this company. I'm here with Emma. I'm her boyfriend." He usually didn't say as much since the term seemed almost childish to him for some reason, but he'd make an exception. "How do you two know each other?" Chris asked though mentally he translated that to 'how much trouble will I get in if I knock your lights out?'
That seemed to surprise the manager but he brushed it off quickly. "Ahh, so you're the mysterious boyfriend. Haha, hey, good to meet ya. No hard feelings, yeah?" he said, offering a hand. "Name's Marice Abner. I'm her boss." So he'd be in a lot of trouble if he punched this guy. Great. Chris accepted the offered hand but put more force into it than he meant to. "Well since you're here guess we can work out custody then. I get her in the mornings and you get her in the evenings?"
Chris forced out a laugh through gritted teeth. This asshole. Deep breath. If you deck this guy then that'll just make a scene and cost Emma her job. Instead, he put an arm over Maurice's shoulder. "Walk with me," he said, keeping the guy next to him as they continued moving through the line. "Emma's too kind for her own good sometimes. She's been getting your coffee?" he asked, trying to keep an even tone.
"Yeah, she can be forgetful, half the time she doesn't remember to put the cream and sugar into the coffee. But hey, we're all busy, and she does a decent job with my paperwork, so…" He shrugged, remaining painfully unaware of the level of stupid he was being.
"Now I'm sure you think it's real clever of you to pull rank on her to make her do all that. You're her boss. It's your choice to be that asshole at the office," Chris said with a forced smile. "But if I find out you ever set a finger on her outside of a handshake, we're going to have a problem." He gave Maurice a not so gentle pat. "How's that for custody?"
"R—" Maurice cleared his throat "Right. Totally."
"We're on the same page then?" Chris asked as he let go of Maurice.
"Absolutely." He nodded quickly.
"Good," Chris replied shortly since it seemed boundaries had been accepted.
"Sir, it's your turn. Do you have your waiver?" one of the hired workers asked, and the other volunteer waved to Maurice.
"Hey, you're back. Good timing. It's my turn for a break," he said as they offered Maurice the clipboard back while the employee went over the basics with Chris. "Do they still have ribs left?"
"Not sure, didn't make it to the line," Maurice muttered as he accepted the clipboard. "Good luck, man."
"Thanks," the other volunteer said and with that, he headed out.
"All right, and that about covers the basics. You get two practice throws and three for scoring," the worker explained before stepping back.
Thump. It was off the side. Chris retrieved it, adjusted his stance, and tried again. Thump. Better. It hit the second of the three rings.
"All right, good practice. Now for scored throws," the worker said, nodding to Maurice to make sure he was recording. Maurice nodded back.
Thump. The ax hit the center. Chris walked down to retrieve it. Thump. Once more in the same place. He retrieved it once more. Thum-Crack! The plyboard split in half due to the little bit of extra oomph behind the last throw, which hit the same place as the first two hits.
"Um. Wow uh, impressive, but I think that kind of means you're disqualified, since you broke the equipment..." the worker said with a slight frown as they went to collect the axe.
Maurice went pale upon seeing the broken target. "So, what is it that you do again? A personal trainer or—" he asked as he wrote down the three bullseyes with a disqualified marker next to it and made a note that the equipment was broken.
Chris gave a short laugh. He usually hated that question, but right now he'd work with it. "Let's go with this, if a dead body shows up, I'm the first person they call." Technically accurate. It was just the dead body was usually undead.
Maurice gave a nervous laugh as it finally sunk in how much trouble he was in. "Cool," he managed to eke out.
Chris waited nearby since Emma would likely come back to this location. It took another fifteen minutes, but she eventually walked over carrying a plate of food in one hand and two beer bottles in the other.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Emma asked with a hint of disappointment that she hadn't it back in time to watch.
Chris walked over and gave her a quick kiss. "Might have accidentally broken the target. I'll take that," he said as he accepted the extra beer intended for Maurice before looking at him. "You have legs. Walk."
"W—I, um, okay?" Emma said, confused, as Chris put an arm around her. "Bye?" she said to Maurice as they walked away. "You are very upset, what happened?" Emma had a feeling it probably involved her boss somehow considering the beer snatch.
"Had a little chat with your boss," Chris admitted with a grumpy expression as he led them to a less populated section of the gathering. "Not sure if you're aware since he waited until you were gone to say anything, but apparently he thinks you're his 'office wife' and likes your ass."
"Oh gosh, I was worried about that. He's very—" Emma paused to try to think of a polite way to say it. "Friendly?"
"Doesn't understand boundaries," Chris corrected, and Emma nodded.
"It's—Yeah. Guys like that happen. I'm used to it," Emma said with a slight frown.
She's used to it? "If he tries anything, you tell me," Chris said with a stern look that caused Emma to force a neutral expression and squint her eyes slightly as she remembered Maurice's offer for drinks after hours. "He already tried something," Chris said more than asked.
"He asked me out for drinks on my birthday. I told him no and left," Emma explained with a sigh. "There's a company email that goes out every week, so I couldn't tell if he was trying to just be the cool boss or—"
"He was trying to get you drunk," Chris said with a frown. Heavens above, he loved her but she was dense sometimes.
"Well…" Emma winced, looking away. I mean, knowing what she knew now, probably.
Chris went to turn right back around, but Emma caught his arm. "Chris."
"He's a piece of shit," he said with a scowl as he faced Emma.
"You're not wrong," she said, frowning. "I didn't know it was that bad, but now I do. If it continues, I'll go to HR, but I need to keep this job if we're going to move in together."
Chris grumbled at that. He hated that she wasn't wrong. She accepted this job because she wanted to stay. Because of him. He knew that, but that guy's attitude was grating.
Emma could feel him relax slightly. "Hopefully it doesn't come to it, but if he tries anything, I'll put that training you've been giving me to good use and kick the crap out of him then let you know and you can do the same. Deal?"
"...Deal," he begrudgingly replied before giving her a peck. "And you're not getting his coffee anymore."
"Absolutely not doing that anymore, and I'll avoid being alone around him, now that I know this is a genuine issue. He'd been using meetings as an excuse," she explained before returning the kiss. "I love you"
"Love you too," he said, clearly still grumpy but much calmer than before.
"This place is pretty boring. There's a much better barbeque place in town," she offered, bobbing her head. "Wanna ditch?"
Chris gave a short chuckle as a smile formed at the corner of his mouth. "Sure. I think I'd like that."
Emma tossed the plate she was holding before she shifted her hold from his arm to his hand and walked with him away.
Come Monday, Emma went to work, and to her great joy she wasn't asked to get a cup of coffee or put away files. Instead, she was given proper work projects.
Tadah Chris to the rescue hehe is there a lot more 'convenient coincidences' than usual with this chapter? yes and It a love/hate relationship all writers have but we're going with it cause it's fun and it made me giggle. Next chapter will be one more fluffy chapter before we start getting into the meat of RE8. anyone else excited? =v= cause I'm excited.
Review Responses:
Guest1995 - ye things are def looking up for now XD I promise a bit more cutes after this at the least
