Chapter Text
‘Claire Redfield finally got her way.’ You think to yourself, one hand propping up your head and the other tapping your desk nervously.
After months and months of Claire begging you to join her and her friends for dinner, you finally accepted. It wasn’t that you had anything against the other people in her life, far from it really, you’ve heard nothing but great things about all of them. Really the issue was you.
You were shy and on the softer side, even after seeing all of the horrors that B.O.Ws cause. You also weren’t a DSO agent or BSAA or really any kind of special military, and while you worked with Claire at Terrasafe, you stayed far from the field.
Really you were a glorified receptionist. You stayed office bound and kept record and track of any important files. You were no hero. Just someone who pushed files in the right direction.
But Claire was a dear friend of yours, and she knew damn well that her consistent begging to introduce you to her friends would eventually wear you down. Especially when it was something that made her so excited she could hardly talk about anything else.
Seriously, how are you supposed to tell Claire Redfield now when she looks at you with her bright blue eyes all full of excitement as she invites you out.
“Please Y/n, it would be so fun! Besides you need to branch out more anyways, why not with some of the best people I know?” She had suggested during one of your coffee runs where your breaks managed to coincide with each other.
“I’ve branched out plenty.” You replied gently, not wanting to give an outright no; not that you knew how to do that anyway.
She had only shaken her head at you in a fond manner, “We both know how untrue that is.” And she had given you a knowing look.
“Will Sherry be there too?” You responded curiously after a moment's contemplation, hoping that there would be at least one other person you would know.
“Are you only deciding to go based on if you know people?” Claire asked, seeing right through you, just like she always did. You give her a sheepish smile which was all the answer she needed. “I’ll make sure she’s there, only IF you promise to show up.” She says, not unkindly but with emphasis.
“Give me a time and a place.” You eventually respond with a sigh. You were sincerely hoping you were given enough time to mentally prepare
meeting such a large group of people.
Claire smiles awkwardly “Wellll….” She drags out, “It’s such a rarity that we all have free time at once that we were going to try and get together tonight…” she continues, voice pitched higher than normal.
“Claire…” you say with a warning tone to your voice. “Was this already planned?” You ask, putting the pieces together. All of her constant asking and insistence.
“Maybe?” Claire lies because it was planned in advance and she did already account for you being there when she made the reservations, she just never considered it would take you this long to agree to it.
“Claire! How am I going to prepare myself on such short notice? I mean I have to rehearse how I’m going to introduce myself and conversation topics…” you ramble on before pausing in horror, “What am I supposed to wear?”
“Hey…” Claire says gentler this time, “These people are nice. You have nothing to worry about at all.” She reassures you, putting a hand on your shoulder as you restlessly tap your finger nails against your desk. “We are going after work, I’m not even planning on changing my clothes if that helps.”
“It does a little.” You say softly with a sigh, “Thank you.” You felt just a tad bit better, a sense of relief coming with knowing your friend picked up on your anxieties.
That conversation was hours ago, however, and the time left of your shift has been ticking down steadily since then. The hours felt like seconds, your growing nervousness making the time pass by rapidly. Truly there were reasons why you were a paper pusher and not one of the ones providing immediate support to victims.
It didn’t help that by work standards your day was slow, leaving you with a whole paid shift to ruminate over your new found dinner plans.
‘These people are going to find me absolutely boring.’ You think to yourself, tapping your keyboard absentmindedly as you watch the clock on your computer. Your company thought it would be a great idea to have it track the hour and the minute, but also the very second; and right now the damn thing was your enemy as you watched your shift end.
You take a deep breath in and hold it for a second before letting it out through a deep sigh. You then attempt to roll out the tension of your shoulders, pushing them back, down, and then around, just like your physical therapist instructed.
Once satisfied with your stretches you finally begin to pick up your desk for the day, meticulously organizing everything where it needs to be, especially the files should anyone need something while you’re away. You took your time with this, knowing Claire would take a minute herself.
“Ready to go?” Claire makes herself known behind you, startling you.
“Claire!” You jump from her voice. “You can’t just sneak up on me like that!” In all of her excitement she had made sure to get to your desk right as you started packing up. Figures.
Claire only laughs and slings an arm around your shoulders, effectively pulling you away from your desk. You only barely managed to grab your purse before being dragged away entirely.
“You know, you have nothing to worry about for tonight.” Claire speaks up after a moment, probably noticing how stiff you were walking; whether it was nerves or your chronic pain flaring up was a guess to her though.
“In theory I know.” You respond with an awkward laugh. “You surround yourself with nothing but good people, I’m not… concerned they are going to hurt my little feelings.” You continue on, “But what if I bore them… or I’m out of place. I’m not exactly like you guys.”
“Listen to me,” Claire says, stopping and grabbing you by the shoulders gently, “You are one of the best data analysts we have at Terrasave. You survived being infected after our offices were attacked, you live with the constant reminder of it too.” She glances at the scaring that crept up your neck from your shoulder. “You are like us and they will find you far from boring.” She adds on reassuringly.
“I’m hardly an analyst these days.” You snort, unable to completely fight off a smile. “They have me doing so much scheduling, I’m like an acting receptionist, minus working at the front desk.” You shake your head. “Regardless, my work is far less interesting than yours.”
Claire rolls her eyes playfully, “We all have our fair share of paperwork you know.” She says lightly, the two of you resuming your walk down to the car garage.
The drive to the restaurant of Claire’s choosing was quick and full of light chatter of how each other's days were like, the chatter being more to ease your nerves than anything.
“Well, we are here.” Claire says as she pulls into the parking lot of a bar and grill restaurant simply titled “The Joint.” You raise an eyebrow at the name and give a strange look.
“Look, it was the only place that was able to accommodate all of us!” She laughs, raising her hands in mock surrender, “It’s got decent reviews too.”
“They couldn’t come up with a better name?” You ask amused and unbuckle your seatbelt.
“Apparently not.” Claire laughs with you as you both exit the vehicle.
“Are they waiting for us inside or are we waiting for them?” You ask as the two of you walk to the doors, a couple of people lingering around the benches the restaurant had out front.
“Actually, my brother is already here.” Claire murmurs, nodding her head towards a very tall, very muscular man. His dark hair was grown out from a crew cut, his face adorned by five o’clock shadow, and his eyes… they appeared to be grey in color at first glance, but the longer the looked you realized one was pulling more brown towards the center iris.
“Oh…” you say softly, looking him over. Claire gives you a curious look. You flush when you realize she caught you staring. “A-are we waiting for them out here or are we going in?” You ask quickly, trying to recover.
‘These damn Redfields and their gorgeous eyes…’ you find yourself thinking, looking away from Claire, whose brilliant blue eyes were staring into your soul.
Claire smirks a bit, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t just see that.” She laughs with a shake of her head, “But, there’s a chance the rest of the party is already here and Chris is just waiting for us.” She says as we approach, our footsteps catching his attention.
Chris looks up from the watch he was glancing at, his features softening when he sees his sister. “Claire, hey.” He speaks, his voice deep, rough, worn but a hint of warmth seeps through as he speaks to Claire, allowing her to pull him into a tight hug.
“It’s good to see you.” Claire says as she squeezes him, “Oh, this is Y/N. Y/N, my brother Chris.” She introduces you both as she pulls away, gesturing to you.
“Nice to have a face to the name.” Chris nods, giving you a once over as he extends a hand out.
“Likewise.” You respond politely, shaking his warm, rough, calloused hand. ‘Good god this is going to be a long night.’ You think to yourself with a flush as you pull away first.
He was entirely too handsome and it was entirely too weird in this moment that you were finding your best friend’s brother attractive. To make it worse, you're pretty positive that Claire has once again clocked you and how you feel, judging by the knowing look she’s giving you that you are desperately trying to ignore.
“Are we the last ones?” Claire asks, pulling you out of your own thoughts.
“Yeah, I offered to wait out here for you two so you didn’t have to find us.” Chris shrugs, glancing down at you briefly before drawing his attention back to Claire.
“Well, lead the way.” Claire gestures with a smile, letting him take the lead. Chris shakes head and opens the door, nodding towards it.
“After you.” He says simply, the flat of his palm resting on the inside of the door, keeping it open. Claire rolls her eyes and drags you in behind her.
‘Don’t be weird. Don’t be weird. Don’t be weird.’ You think to yourself as you take your seat. True to his word, Claire’s and you were the last ones to arrive, the others already seated and softly chatting as they gaze over the menus.
Sherry perks up and waves at you as you sit, already smiling. “Y/N! It’s so great to see you again, and in much nicer circumstances.”
“It’s good to see you too.” You smile softly, grateful for the familiar face. “And you too Leon.” You nod towards him, vaguely recognizing him from two years prior.
Granted your meeting with Leon Kennedy was foggy to you. You remember he was on the case when the outbreak took out your hometown office, back when your job was reading over more numbers than you could count.
The dirty blonde in question smiled lightly “Glad to see you're still intact.”
“Feels like just barely sometimes.” Your attempt to laugh comes out as an awkward chuckle. What an icebreaker.
“You two know each other?” Chris, who is sitting directly in front of you to your misfortune, asks as he glances between the two of you.
“She’s one of the survivors who got bit when a smaller Terrasave office went down about two years ago.” Claire confirms, “That’s where she met Sherry and Leon.” You nod along to her explanation, letting her handle it.
“So that means Chris and I were left out, huh?” A woman with short brunette hair and piercing blue eyes speaks up, nudging Chris and laughing. “I’m Jill by the way, since Claire failed to introduce us.” She smiles at you.
“My meeting with Leon was brief.” You speak up, “I only kind of remember it and most of what I do remember was that horrid shock blanket I was given. So really it’s like I’m meeting you all for the first time.” You say kindly.
“She’s shy, I wasn’t keeping her from anyone.” Claire finally speaks out, as Jill shakes her head at her.
“Oh but she knows Sherry.” Leon muses, nodding towards the blonde woman. “Enough for the three of you to have pictures together.”
“I was assigned her case.” Sherry shrugs, “Friendship often blooms through these trying times.” She adds on.
It was true, she was the one assigned to you in the aftermath of the attack. All the debriefings, what was classified, what wasn’t, your quarantine process and even making sure you had access to a vaccine. She advocated for you when they wanted to run more invasive tests when they figured out your immunity.
Hell, it was her and Claire who helped you with the whole healing process, trips to classified doctors and physical therapy appointments, and they even ensured you still had a job once you were cleared to go back. Of course you garnered a friendship with her.
“It’s a little weird how much you all know about me.” You admit, focusing your attention on the menu in front of you.
“I wouldn’t say we know you. We’ve just read the case report.” Jill says almost reassuringly. It would’ve been had the file they were talking about not be about one of the most traumatic days of your life. God you wish you could be as casual about it as others were when it came to their traumas.
“Are we ready to order?” Chris clears his throat, drawing attention to him instead, noticing the way you were shying away.
Claire turns to you and whispers “You’re doing good.” And pats your leg. You give her a stiff smile in response before going back to your menu like the others.
Everyone chatted over dinner, the table filled with mirth, laughter, and clanks of silverware and hands falling against the table. The sound of it all made your head spin, you barely managed to respond when directly spoken too.
‘It never used to be this hard…’ You think to yourself, wondering if the virus was truly gone from your system despite the two years it’s been. Maybe it simply altered your brain chemistry and swapped your DNA.
“I-I need some air.” You say shakily, standing up from your seat.
“Are you okay? Do we need to leave? I can take you home.” Claire gets out worriedly, catching your wrist gently as she gives you a once over.
You shake your head at her, “It’s just a bit stuffy in here. Need a second.” You manage out, index finger tugging on your shirt collar, the fabric feeling constricting. “I’ll be fine.” You assure her, ignoring the worried and confused glances around the table.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Claire asks softly.
“No, no… I just need five minutes.” You shake your head, “And maybe a cigarette.” You mumble to yourself, hating the urge that’s prickling at your fingers, an itch you shouldn’t scratch again.
Before Claire or anyone else can get a word out you’re already making your way out the door. The evening air has started to cool down, sending a welcomed chill through your body. It was always like a balm against your nerves.
You slump yourself down on one of the benches, wrapping your soft grey cardigan around yourself tightly, a healthier way you’ve learned to calm yourself down, and take a deep breath in.
‘Meeting everyone at once proved to be too much…’ You let out a deep sigh with the breath you were holding. ‘I can’t even handle social interactions anymore… no fucking wonder they don’t let me work on cases anymore.’
This was getting dangerously close to spiraling territory.
“Hey.” A voice calls, pulling you from your thoughts. You stiffly turn a bit to see Chris walking up to the bench you’re at.
“Hi.” You respond back listlessly, watching for his next move. You were confused why he followed you out here. Surely it hadn’t been five minutes already, and if it had been, Claire would be the one to come out here.
“Can I sit?” He asks, nodding towards the empty space next to you. You nod at him and scoot over to offer him more space.
“Why are you out here?” You ask once’s he’s settled into the seat, his broad shoulders brush softly against your own.
“Wanted a smoke.” He shrugs, pulling out a box of Marlboro reds and pulling a cigarette out. “Want one?” He asks offering the aforementioned cigarette out to you.
“Oh- no thank you I’m good.” You shake your head at his offer.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugs, resting the cigarette between his lips. He digs around in one of his pockets, producing a lighter before cupping his hand around one side of the cigarette as he lights it.
You watch, almost longingly, as he takes a long drag of his cigarette and lets the smoke slip past his lips in a long thin plume.
Chris must have caught your staring because he glances towards you and rolls his eyes. “Thought you didn’t want one.” He says, not unkindly, offering the cigarette out to you.
You hesitate, you really shouldn’t but god do you want to. “Maybe just a puff.” You respond, taking it as an offering. “So where’s Claire?” You ask before taking your own drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke fill and settle within your lungs before letting it bellow out of your lips.
“She wanted to give you the full five minutes.” Chris says, watching as you flick the red hot cherry to the side. “Didn’t sit right with me after seeing the look in your eye.”
“That’s just what we’ve always done.” You shrug, “I say I need five, she gives me five. It’s usually fine.”
“But tonight it’s not.” Chris notes, leaning back into the bench and taking another drag of the cigarette.
“Different circumstances I guess. Triggers I didn’t know I had.” You sigh and pull your cardigan around you tighter, “But… zombie attacks and two years of nothing but doctors and the government poking and prodding at you alters your psyche doesn’t it?” You attempt to laugh, trying to get out of your own head at the situation.
“And you were forced to think about it.” Chris notes, passing you back the cigarette.
The two of you fall into a silence as you both pass the cigarette to each other after your own puffs, enough words had been exchanged for Chris to paint a picture of what had happened back there. There was no need to further push who he saw a wounded soldier in.
“Thank you, by the way.” You say after a while, the cigarette reaching its end.
“For the cigarette?” Chris asks with an amused lift of his eyebrow. You shake your head and chuckle.
“No, no, for coming out here and sitting with me.” You correct him, “You didn’t have to do that.” You say, face flushing.
You had barely met this man and already have you drooled all over him in front of his sister, who’s your best friend, but now have practically bared your soul out too. Damn these Redfields for being not just some of the most gorgeous people you have met, but also the most caring.
Chris looks at you for a moment, really looks at you. You were more than the pretty girl he had noticed in some of his sisters pictures, and sure as hell more than what he had read up on you. How he wishes to further break through your shy exterior, pass the trauma that controlled you, and get to know you.
He opens his mouth to say something, anything, to assure you that there was really nothing following you out here despite all his sister's attempts at keeping him from doing it, but nothing comes out before he hears the tell-tale call of your name from Claire’s mouth.
“Y/n! Are you okay?” She asks, giving you another once over, “God I should’ve thought this through better…” she mumbles to herself as she checks you over, her hands resting gently on your shoulders.
“I’m fine, just… wasn’t expecting that conversation.” You respond to her, “I was already overwhelmed and then it was brought up and I just… I couldn't bring myself back out of it.” You explain, smiling at her in a way that makes you hope she will just brush off the incident from earlier.
“I’m really sorry, I should’ve told everyone to not bring it up…” Claire trails off knowing you probably don’t want to talk about it further and shakes her head, “Regardless, are you feeling alright to come back in or do you need a minute longer?” She asks instead, looking between both you and Chris with an unreadable expression.
You glance at Chris quickly and look back at Claire, “I could finish dinner.” You say finally, ready to try again.