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Holidays, no matter what it was, were usually busy around the police office. Officers were running around, trying desperately to keep up their holiday cheer while dealing with sudden increases of drunkards and deranged homeless on top of the normal Raccoon City delinquents.
This meant, naturally, the treasured S.T.A.R.S team rarely had anything to do so celebrating holidays was a big deal for them—well, most of them.
New Years
They didn't work New Years but the previous year involved an office party that went rather badly. Captain Wesker remained in his office, only leaving for a cigarette when the stress or music got too much to bear. Joseph, Enrico, and Forest were all playing barmen, mixing drinks and offering some rather odd concoctions to some of the party attendees. Kenneth and Edward mingled but soon vanished, most likely leaving to avoid the chaos. Richard was one of the few who didn't get drunk and ended up being most of the taxis home for the other officers. Barry shared the job, considering his wife accompanied him, and the two ended up having to drag a drunken Brad into one of the back offices to sleep because of how strongly he insisted on sleeping on Rebecca. Rebecca avoided any sort of alcohol and, instead, tentatively drank juice behind Jill most of the night. Chris remained beside Jill, a single beer in hand, but couldn't help from looking into his Captain's office every once and a while.
"Just go in there and offer him a drink," Jill encouraged, nudging him and holding up a new beer to Chris to offer to Wesker.
"I don't know if I should. He's working—"
"It's a party, you know he should be relaxing like the rest of us," Jill countered, looking around at the coworkers who seemed to be enjoying, and some over enjoying, themselves.
"Captain Wesker isn't the type to relax. Besides, if he was going to drink, he wouldn't drink a beer."
"How do you know that?" Enrico asked from several feet away, his hands offering the rather large display of alcohol before him. "Pick one you think he would like."
"I'm not going in there. If anything, you should go," Chris shot at Enrico who laughed and shook his head.
"I have a job to do, kid."
And that was that.
Nobody bothered the captain and the party was over by one—though Wesker was nowhere to be found before eleven.
Veterans Day
Veterans day was the next holiday they actually celebrated because there were so many victims of war that were related to the officers from the precinct. Not to mention, Chris personally felt it important but it wasn't proper to have an office party so, instead, they settled on an office barbeque located at a park not too far from work.
Again, everyone had their own role.
Joseph and Enrico were in charge of cooking the food, Forest watched in case something caught on fire (nobody was really trusting Joseph or Enrico with the food), Rebecca was in charge of games, and of course, most of the precinct was currently playing those games—except for Captain Albert Wesker who was sitting at a picnic table with a plastic red cup of juice and papers from the office.
The park itself was beautiful, practically empty since it was a Thursday and most people were at their own homes with their families celebrating. Some of the officers were playing with frisbees while others were playing some of the games that Rebecca set up. All in all, most of them were having fun—
Except, of course, a certain worried male brunet and his companion who was, again, pushing him to talk to their captain.
"He just looks lonely," Chris muttered from across the park, his eyes on the black figure who was completely ignoring the coworkers around him.
"Captain Wesker prefers to be alone; you know that from the Fourth of July picnic we tried to do. Do I have to bring up that failure?"
"Wesker already did," Chris muttered to her as he put the plastic cup in his hands to his lips to take a sip.
"I don't know what to tell you, Chris. Either get over your little man-crush you have on the captain or do something about it," Jill stated firmly causing Chris to glance at her. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not stupid."
"Everyone else is," Chris muttered under his breath as he took another drink out of awkwardness.
"No, not everyone but now isn't the time to bring that up," Jill said quickly before getting back on the subject at hand. "How long?"
"A while now, I guess," Chris responded almost robotically. "Stupid, isn't it?"
"It really is," Jill said with a chuckle. "At least you have a goal."
"Captain Wesker isn't a goal; he's a—"
"-Very good listener."
The dark voice made both S.T.A.R.S members jump and turn to see the man, in question, standing behind them. He adjusted his sunglasses, surprisingly needed for how sunny of an afternoon it was, and smirked at the two.
"Now, what were you saying?"
"A-Absolutely nothing, Captain," Jill stated, her voice audibly shaken up. "I'm going to go play—" the game she muttered was lost to both men as she turned and rushed off towards Rebecca, most likely to tell her everything.
"Heh, I should probably—"
"I'm leaving. I see no point in remaining here any longer. If Enrico asks to know where I am, simply tell him I returned to the office."
"But—" Chris bit his lip but nodded with a quiet, "Yes, Sir."
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was another holiday the office loved to celebrate despite how terribly some of the past experiences with holidays in the office went. It was Wednesday night and everyone who was eating—not Wesker—brought their own plate of Thanksgiving classics. The food was spread out from taking over the S.T.A.R.S office to even spreading through the front hall where they had most of their celebrations anyway.
And yet again, Captain Albert Wesker remained in the office on the phone with someone talking feverishly to them. The team could tell simply from looking through the glass not from how Wesker's mouth moved, because it rarely opened more than it needed to when speaking, but the way his jaw clenched and the constant rubbing at the bridge of his nose, pushing his sunglasses up, was what gave it away.
"Does he never enjoy himself?" Chris asked as he set aside the plate of food he originally got for himself and, instead, sat on his desk.
"The captain is supposed to be busy all the time, right? Isn't that why we never see Chief Irons?" Rebecca asked from beside him.
"Chief Irons is never here because he's a jackass," Jill muttered, pushing her food away as well at the mention of him.
"Hey!" Enrico called from across the room.
"Sorry!" Jill called. "My first day, he came onto me and, ever since, decides to use demeaning pet names whenever we come in contact. I haven't personally submitted my reports to him in months," Jill explained to the two who shook their heads in response.
"Maybe that's who he's talking to," Rebecca suggested, taking tiny bites at her food as if she feared it would eat her back.
"He would've just gone down to his office if it was Irons; he would get more privacy that way. I mean look at us, we're staring at him shamelessly," Jill said, her attention going to Brad who had far too much food piled onto the paper plate he was holding and ended up dropping it.
"Chris does it all the time, I'm sure he's use to it by now," Barry said, passing by casually.
"Can we not have a conversation without someone having a comment on a subject they know nothing about?" Chris shouted after him causing the older male to grin.
"Not really. That's why we have all been dead silent for the past three minutes listening in," Richard stated from his desk, across the room, with a chuckle.
Christmas
Christmas Eve was where they were now. Jill and Rebecca had set up for the S.T.A.R.S team to have a Secret Santa give away and, of course, Chris picked Albert Wesker out of the pile of names. Chris had the sneaking suspicion that the entire pile had Wesker's name on it but he didn't care enough to actually bring it up. Unfortunately, he didn't actually think about just how hard it would be to find Albert Wesker a Christmas present until he had gone to countless shopping stores and still came out with nothing.
And then, of course, he thought of the perfect present—one that Captain Albert Wesker could use, appreciate, and possibly cherish.
It was absolutely perfect.
The groups did their exchanging, Barry getting Chris's name so Chris ended up with a new handgun holster which fit his thigh better than his previous one. Unfortunately, nobody told Albert Wesker of their gift giving so he wouldn't feel pressured to buy any of his team members a gift so when the captain exited the Christmas party for a cigarette, Chris eagerly followed.
Chris tailed the blond all the way to the roof, waiting a few extra seconds to go through the door to the cold outside world. Wesker, unlit cigarette between his lips and lighter in his hand, turned to look at Chris who greeted him with a smile and a quiet, "sorry to bother you, Captain," before walking completely onto the roof.
It was dark and most of the light came from the rooftop lights combined with the streetlamps. It was dangerously cold, far too dangerous for Chris to not be wearing a jacket. The cold air bit anxiously at Chris's wet and bruised lips from all the biting he had done throughout the party but he was finally ready to give Wesker his present.
"What are you doing out here without a jacket, Redfield?" Wesker asked carefully after lighting the cigarette and inhaling the warm smoke.
"W-Well, I saw you leaving and I didn't have much time to grab my jacket. I'm fine, though," he quickly added as he saw the blonde's eyebrow rise behind his sunglasses.
"Then get on with it before you freeze," Wesker muttered, taking the cigarette from his lips between his middle and forefinger.
"I've watched you all year, Captain," Chris began though he was quickly cut off by a scoff.
"I'm well aware, Christopher."
"I told you to call me Chris," the brunet groaned before shrugging. "I just mean that I've noticed how on events like these, you don't have any fun."
"What sort of fun is there to be had? Drinking and eating with coworkers who I see every day?" Wesker asked, taking another inhale from the cigarette.
Chris, meanwhile, was beginning to lose feeling in his fingers and he could barely feel the present in his hand behind his back. His lips had to have been visibly turning blue by now with the worried look that Wesker was giving him.
"We're a family, Captain, and I know you may not believe that but we have a sort of trust in each other that you just can't have with normal friends. We save each other d-day in and day o-out," Chris said, trying desperately to ignore the chattering of his teeth.
"I don't have a family," Wesker muttered, eyeing the cigarette in between his fingers, "This sort of trust that you claim we have is there because if it wasn't, we would all be dead."
"You don't have a f-family?" Chris closed his mouth fighting his chattering because it really was beginning to ruin the moment that the brunet desperately wanted with Wesker.
"No, I don't."
"W-Well, neither do I—at l-least not here. My sister is off at college and my parents d-died when I was a k-kid," Chris said sadly as the thought of his sister began looming over him. "T-That's why I w-wanted to give y-you th-this."
That is when Chris held out the neatly wrapped package. It was a rectangle box wrapped in black and blue wrapping with a tag that read 'Captain Albert Wesker: The one who deserves it more than anyone'. Wesker took another drag off his cigarette, his eyes flashing back and forth from the present to Chris, before he exhaled the smoke, crushed the cigarette head against the wall and flung it over the side of the building.
"This is for me?" Wesker asked carefully before grabbing it.
"I-I hope you like it," Chris stated, unsure if his stuttering was now from the nervousness or from the cold air. "I-I had to talk to B-Barry to g-get to the r-right place and th-they didn't w-want to do it u-until I told them w-who it was f-for."
Maybe the stuttering was from both?
Either way, Wesker hesitantly opened it, as if it was the first present he'd ever gotten. He slowly tore the wrapping, almost sadly as he eyed the tag. The wind blew, reminding Chris just how numb he was growing, and Wesker tossed the wrapping aside eyeing Chris as he opened the present.
Inside was a single knife: the blade was completely untouched with notches on the lower side and the S.T.A.R.S logo imprinted on the base above where the black handle was attached. Wesker removed his sunglasses, pocketing them in his shirt as he looked from Chris to the box.
"I already have a—"
"I know y-you already have a knife b-but not one that's c-c-custom made. It has y-your initials on the bottom of the handle and the S.T.A.R.S logo. I-I mean i-if you don't w-want it, I guess I c-could always—"
"No, no. That's not necessary. I just—I don't have anything for you," Wesker muttered almost absentmindedly, his eyes on the shivering brunet.
"W-Well isn't that t-the point of a g-gift? B-Besides, I d-don't r-really n-ne—"
Whether Wesker just got tired of listening to Chris stutter or he truly wanted to give Chris something, Chris didn't know. What the brunet did know was their lips were touching and within the five seconds it had been, Chris was already warming up. Wesker tasted of cigarettes but Chris truly did not mind. In fact, it was a taste that seemed to warm his mouth further even as their cold lips opened and explored one another. Wesker's gloved hand, that wasn't holding the box, rested on Chris's right hip to pull the cold brunet closer. Chris used this opportunity to push himself fully against his captain, the body warmth enough to bring feeling back to his extremities while also making him quite light headed at the same time.
"Well, that was a pretty good present," Chris muttered breathlessly as he had broken from the blond to breathe.
"I would hope so," Wesker stated with a smirk before eyeing the door. "Perhaps we should return. We may be missed," he suggested almost sadly as Chris hesitantly stepped away, nodding.
"I-yeah—Yeah, we should," Chris said despite thinking the exact opposite.
Wesker nodded and began towards the door but Chris stopped him by calling his name.
"Hey Captain?" He started, following him.
"Yes, Christopher?"
"I told y—Ah, whatever. I was wondering—are you doing anything tonight? After the party, I mean," Chris asked hesitantly.
"I had no plans," Wesker responded truthfully.
"Would you like to go out… with me, I mean. Would you go out with me?"
"Is that really proper? I am your boss and I don't really think it's very appropriate."
"There aren't any rules against it and I think we're both adult enough to be able to handle it if things ever went sour," Chris defended carefully as Wesker sighed.
"Chris, I really don't think—"
"You deserve to have something you enjoy, Albert," Chris said quietly.
It took a long moment of Wesker staring intently into Chris's eager blue eyes that reflected so much of everything he liked about the brunet. The courage, strength, determination— All the things that made him hire Chris in the first place.
"When does the party end, then?" Wesker asked hesitantly causing Chris to grin happily.
New Years
Chris and Wesker ended up spending Christmas day together. Originally, neither had any intention of it, but after talking all night with wine and, eventually, scotch, things were bound to happen. However, it was surprisingly not awkward when both awoke beside each other, one very sore and the other very amused. They had grown a sort of bond (within those few days) that they only sometimes carried into the workplace.
Chris still had to call Albert 'Captain' around the office but after-hours and at each other's homes, it was Albert. They also equally agreed that keeping public displays of affection in the workplace to a minimum was best for the entire office. However, that did not mean Chris wouldn't sneak a kiss or two whenever he could—out of prying eyes, of course (which was usually Jill, Rebecca, or, surprisingly, Richard).
Now, it was New Years and, just like the year before, Albert Wesker was in his office. The difference was, he was accompanied by a young Chris Redfield who was begging for well…
"It's a tradition!"
"It is stupid."
"It's a stupid tradition—it doesn't mean I don't want to do it. This is the first year ever that I'll be able to! Besides, it's after hours."
"That does not mean I want to announce to the entire precinct that we are sleeping together," Wesker bit back as he opened the folder in front of him to begin working on—well—work.
"Everybody already knows, Albert! Nobody cares," Chris fought back, pulling the folder away from him.
"It has been a week. How could the entire office possibly already know?" Wesker asked, allowing the brunet to take the folder away, close it, and file it into a pile of papers that it didn't belong in.
"Jill."
"Right, silly me. I actually assumed you would attempt to keep us a secret," Wesker muttered as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"I didn't tell her. She saw us in the hallway on Friday. Besides, they would have found out eventually."
"Chris, if I say yes will you leave me alone?"
"After we do it, yes," Chris said proudly.
"Fine, fine."
Chris jumped to his feet and rounded Wesker's desk, taking him by the arm and dragging him out of the office.
"You actually got him to agree?" Jill asked with a chuckle as she received a glare safely behind sunglasses.
"Yeah, I told you I could," Chris stated, releasing Wesker.
"According to Chris, you are the reason the entire office knows about us," Wesker said to Jill, ignoring their conversation and, of course, the look on Chris's face.
"I-I didn't, Captain," Jill said, a bit dumbfounded.
Wesker smirked and opened his mouth to speak but Rebecca spoke, instead.
"Every one, the countdown is about to start!"
"We'll talk about this later," Jill growled to Chris before disappearing.
"And so will we," Wesker stated as he turned to Chris. "Why were you so intent on doing this?" Wesker asked quickly.
"10, 9, 8, 7-" The room counted, their eyes on a nearby clock. Wesker and Chris, however, were staring intently at each other.
"I just never want to forget this moment. I want to try to make it as memorable as I can," Chris said simply.
"6, 5, 4."
"You may regret that."
"3, 2—"
"Maybe."
"1."
Who knew their lips connecting would draw collective gasps from around the room? Who knew Rebecca would start clapping before, eventually, Brad, Richard, Jill, and even Barry joined in? Who knew in less than a year, Albert Wesker would betray them all?
None of them knew which is what made that moment perfect, if just for a long moment where neither of them listened to the gasps or the claps or thoughts of the unexpected future. It was a moment of peace and utter serenity where their lips connected and nothing else mattered-
For now.