#pair: diana x albert

[novistadors]

[arklay]

tagged by @phillipsgraves @risingsh0t @aartyom @leviiackrman @morvaris @reaperkiller & @calenhads to make some of my oc pairings in this picrew – thank you all so much, ily guys! ♡

🐍 diana afanasyeva x 🕶️ albert wesker 🚁 dani haines x 🕊️ claire redfield 👑 reina x 💸 dex jackson

tagging: anyone who hasn’t done this yet, because i’m really late to this and i think almost everyone has been tagged already! ♡

[mewhiphand]

hello! who’s your favorite and least favorite characters in “gone” and why? favorite romantic and platonic pairings (canon or non-canon)? any headcanons for any characters?

hi!! thank you so much for the ask, apologies for the late response!

my personal favourites are (as you may be able to tell) drake, mary, diana and (sort of) caine!

i like drake and caine as characters and not, y'know, actual people, i think it's really interesting how they're characterised and i do love some moral greyness! drake, i think, should have been explored more as a 15 year old child who had his arm burned off and was used by everyone around him, rather than your typical cookie-cutter misogynistic villain.

caine is a popular one in the fandom, and i think for good reason! he's got some amazing lines, (even if the way he acts is not realistic for a teenager) and while i don't think, personally, that he was redeemed, and shouldn't be praised or romanticised, he was a....curious....look into how childhood neglect and abandonment, mixed with superpowers, can lead to a façade of overinflated self worth to hide one's true feelings of inferiority!

mary i relate to a lot, i was devastated by her death in lies! one thing that i think MG did really well was portrayal and representation of mental illnesses, like mary's depression and eating disorder. she was one of the most genuinely 'good' people, i think, and in terms of morality she's practically a saint!

penny and taylor are two controversial faves of mine also! i think penny deserved more scenes, i found her backstory so tragic but so fascinating.

and taylor, in my opinion, wasn't really allowed a lot of development which i thought was unfair! she was delegated to be astrid's opposite, the 'boy crazy' "ninny", as she's described. what happened to her was so sad and an unfitting end, i thought :((

least favourites would maybe be (controversially) lana - i feel like MG plays a little too much into stereotypes of 'tough badass' with her character as the series progressed, although i loved her in the first two books, and she became more of a plot device than a character. i'm also not the biggest fan of sam, i thought he was a little bland as a protagonist - i think astrid would have worked better actually!

dekka i LOVED until 'monster', which [SPOILERS] implied she still loved a 13 year old (brianna) when she was, what, 19? so that kind of creeped me out, but i didn't enjoy monster much otherwise tbh.

as for favourite pairings! ooohh this is interesting!

i'm a sucker for mary x dahra, i think there was such an opportunity there and instead of giving dahra a boyfriend, elwood, with a couple of lines and not a lot of significance, mary's arc could have been extended with her forming a true friendship and then relationship with dahra! both mary and dahra meet tragic ends, too, and suffer so much as they're expected to take care of everyone else :((

i also enjoy lana x dahra! they have a couple scenes interacting which i think is so cute!

i'm not a big fan of most canon romantic pairings, sam x astrid felt rather forced to me, i felt as though they should have broken up permanently as the series progressed and their dynamic felt rather toxic. diana x caine was the same for me, although many in the fandom enjoy it. i would've liked to see more interaction of the coates trio as friends!

i LOVED the little scenes we got of albert and lana, and cookie and lana as friends! albert is another one of my favourites, and i've always liked cookie's small but meaningful arc!

as for headcanons!

•caine likes shitty rom-coms. he always complained when diana made him watch them, but in his last moments, he remembers the time they spent together and dies happy.

•astrid likes opera, she watches the eurovision religiously (ha-ha) and little pete used to like to put flowers (especially daisies) in her hair when she was playing with him outside.

•sam almost drowned once on a particularly miscalculated surf, quinn pulled him out and that's when their friendship really developed! (i believe this goes against canon but it's so cute to me)

•lana likes to watch old westerns with her grandfather post-fayz.

•diana does become a hairdresser and eventually opens her own practice. she thinks of how she used to laugh with her female friends at coates when they talked about their future. she mourns the dead, and pities the living.

•mary and dahra's parents fund a support group for fayz survivors, which helps pay for legal cases, therapy and hospital bills.

•sam and quinn still surf with each other post-fayz.

•astrid gets emancipated, and deals with feelings of self-loathing after little pete's death. her parents join in for family therapy sometimes.

•connie mourns the loss of both her sons. one is dead, burnt to nothing but ashes, and the other's innocence was ripped away as he was forced to be a leader. she and sam have strained family dinners on occasion.

•hermit jim posthumously becomes a national hero (i'm so sorry this is devolving into shitposting-)

thank you so much for the ask, it was so interesting! :)

[onthesandsofdreams]

Fictober 30 - Steve x Diana

Prompt number: 30. “I’m with you, you know that.”Fandom: Wonder Woman (Post- Movie)Pairing: Steve x DianaRating: GWarnings/Tags: Mentions of War & Temporary Character Death

In Dreams. Read @ AO3

Diana feels a bit lost after defeating Ares. She’s done the job she had set herself out to do, but navigating the fallout is far more difficult than what she had imagined. Even with the help of Etta, Charlie, Sameer and Napi, she misses Steve keenly.

Diana remains in London after the war. It’s Etta who offers a room in her house, and it’s also Etta who comes up with a solution for Diana’s lack of papers. Etta produces both a birth certificate and a marriage licence.

“I’m not sure about this,” Diana says, clearly uncomfortable with the lies. “It’s not that I’m not grateful, but it feels wrong.”

“I know honey,” Etta pats Diana’s hand in a comforting manner. “But you will need identification now, and well, now you’ll have it and it will help with your life here now.”

“Thank you Etta.”

And that had been that. Etta had also helped Diana get a job alongside her, with Diana’s gift of languages, she had been welcomed with open arms. And life proceeded quite nicely along.

*****

Then it happened one night. Diana bid Etta good night and goes to bed, sleep comes easier than normal, and she dreams. She dreams of a forest, completely surrounded by mist. Diana can barely distinguish the trees and there’s not much visibility, then she hears some footsteps.

“Diana,” A voice she knows and has missed calls out to her.

“Steve?” Her own voice is shaky, tentatively hopeful. “Is that you?”

Then Diana watches as Steve Trevor emerges from the mist. As young and as handsome as she saw him last. There’s no wounds on him, no scarring that would hint at the manner of his death.

Steve gives her a wide grin, “Hey Diana. It’s me.”

“Oh Steve!” Diana rushes to him and wraps her arms around him. Steve’s presence is solid in her arms as she feels him wrap his arms around her. “I miss you so.”

“So do I,” Steve says and then kisses the top of Diana’s head. “But I am here now, even if it’s only in your dreams.”

“How? How is it possible?”

“Your uncle, apparently.” Steve says in an amused tone of voice. “You know, Hades. He’s letting me come and visit you in your dreams. But I had to wait a bit.”

Diana’s eyes widen in surprise and her jaw open falls a little. “Hades?!”

“Yup,” Steve is still smiling at her. “Apparently a thank you for Ares.”

“Praise Hades, then. I am grateful that I can have you here, even if it’s only in my dreams. I am glad that he didn’t take you away from me, at least not entirely!”

“No, and I’m going to be here for you. As much as I can.”

Diana kisses him with all the love she has for him and he kisses her back. They don’t let go of each other and spend the rest of the time they have together talking. They talk until Diana’s vision begins to blur.

“You must be waking up,” Steve informs her.

“I don’t want to go just yet.” Diana says.

“Love, I won’t be going anywhere. I’ll see you again, quite soon in fact. So go, live your life and then tell me about it.”

With that, Diana’s vision goes black and she wakes with tears on her face. But she still smiles, knowing she can talk to Steve and that he is not completely lost to her. She lives.

*****

“I was thinking of changing my line of work,” Diana says during one meeting with Steve. “A museum, I’d like to do that.”

“It would suit you,” Steve agrees. “And there’s no more wars to worry about.”

“Indeed. And spy work is not something I want to do.”

“Understandable.”

With Steve’s encouragement and Etta’s blessing, Diana gets a job in the Victoria & Albert Museum. She relishes the change, even if it’s only to file archives, she has to start somewhere and honest work is good work.

*****

“How’s Etta doing?”

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about it. She’s dating this really lovely woman, quietly of course - I still don’t understand why they can’t love publically - and she’s very happy.”

Steve gives her a sad smile, “They should be able to, they’re not doing anyone any harm. But I’m glad to hear she’s happy.”

“Yes, I hope the day comes when people can love who they love without shame or repercussions. The suffragettes are still fighting for the vote, and I have marched with them on occasion.”

“Good on you Diana, keep fighting the good fight.”

“Thank you Steve.”

*****

“Napi has gone back to the States, said that he had work to do there.”

“Must miss it,” Steve smiled sadly. “I would’ve thought he’d remain in Europe. But home calls, I guess.”

“Charlie’s back in Scotland, he still doesn’t know what he’s going to do, but he also wanted out of the army.”

“Good for him,” Steve agreed. “He should take care of himself.”

“Sameer is traveling, he’s not sure what he’s going to do. So he’s traveling to see what to do.”

“Well, I hope he finds something. I know how it can be, to be a bit lost without direction.”

*****

And so time passed, Steve and Diana met each other in dreams. They spoke about life - or in Steve’s case - his previous life. And then.

“There’s another war brewing,” Diana spoke with a heavy heart. “Germany is being led by a horrid man, I’ve been hearing lots of talk of a war. People are trying to prevent it, but… I feel like it’s useless.”

Steve had been silent. “I am sorry Diana, I wish there was anything I could do to help you.”

“I killed Ares and now I feel like it was for nothing. But if war starts, I will fight again, I won’t abandon this world. I just wish I understood the need for it.”

“Because men make choices,” Steve said smiling sadly. “And some of those choices are terrible for many, good for few. Humanity is too complicated.”

“I know that now,” Diana responded. “I just wish war would not come at all.”

*****

“The things they were doing,” Diana sobs as Steve held her in his arms. “They were people! It was absolutely vile. The horrors they suffered, entire families gone and now… I have so much rage inside of me.”

“I know sweetheart,” Steve rocks her gently. “Your heart is far too kind and noble for you to turn away from helping others.”

“Thank you,” Diana gave him a watery smile. “For just holding me.”

“I love you. I don’t want you to feel alone. Because you never are.”

*****

“I’m moving to Paris.” Diana says after the war is over. “I’m thinking of trying for a job there.”

“Paris sounds nice,” Steve agrees, head on her lap. The sun shines in the meadow they found themselves in. “Great food.”

“Of course you’d mention the food,” Diana says with a laugh.

“Well, in my defense, I do miss it.”

Diana smiles down at Steve. “How come we always meet in places like these?”

Steve shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t know. But as long as I can see you, I won’t complain.”

“Me either, I just found it curious.”

*****

The dreams keep coming and the years keep passing. Diana is happy to still have Steve in her life, in any way she can. So, she doesn’t question it, she enjoys the little grace Hades has given her.

And then she mourns. Charlie passes one day, she attends his funeral in Scotland, prays that Hades has mercy on him. She visits Etta and her friend is older and grey, and Diana’s heart clenches, because she now knows that sooner, rather than later, she will lose her and Sameer. Napi writes on occasion, but she doesn’t know about whether he’d live or pass on.

“Charlie’s gone,” Diana tells Steve.

“I’m sorry Diana.”

“And Etta and Sameer won’t be far behind.” There is sadness in her voice.

“That’s the life of a common man, Diana. We live, we grow old and pass on.”

“Time flew by and I barely noticed.”

Steve says nothing, just holds her close.

*****

In the blink of an eye, it’s 1958.

One night that Diana meets with Steve, he looks tired and sad. “What troubles you,” she asks him.

“Nothing much,” Steve says with care, voice calm and composed. “Only… something is happening Diana and I - I won’t be able to see you for a while.”

Diana’s head snaps up and looks at Steve with wide worried eyes. “What do you mean Steve?”

Steve fidgets and looks away. “Part of the deal with your uncle, is that I can’t tell you. But… I will be gone for a while. I’m sorry.” Steve holds her face in his hands. “I want you to know this: I’m with you, you know that.” Then he removes one of his hands and places it gently above her heart. “No matter what Diana, I am in your heart, be strong until we meet again.”

The next morning, Diana wakes up weeping.

*****

A month passes and then another and there’s no sign of Steve at all. Diana doesn’t dream about him, she weeps and begs to the Gods, but no answer ever comes. And Diana mourns Steve Trevor for a second time.

Time crawls slowly this time and Diana doesn’t know what to do. She has few friends from work, so she dedicates to work and to save people. Throws herself into both things with all her being.

Diana keeps living. She’s not sure how, but she does. When she least expects it, her laughs come easier, she rests better, she feels lighter. Life is better.

*****

It’s 1984 and there’s trouble in DC.

Diana sees the news of a woman calling herself Cheetah, she’s been wreaking havoc in DC and no one has been able to catch her.  

So Diana takes leave of her job and books a flight to Washington. Once there, Diana begins making patrols at night, always careful, always on the lookout. Stops a couple of robberies, helps the people she can while she’s there.

But so far, no success in spotting Cheetah.

One morning, the phone in her room rings. “Hello?” She answers.

“Miss Prince,” The receptionist voice comes clear. “There’s someone in the lobby for you. Says his name is Steve Trevor.”

Diana freezes, it can’t be. Steve is dead and gone. “I’m going down,” she says and hopes the receptionist doesn’t notice her voice shaking.

“As you wish miss Prince, have a good day.”

Diana puts down the receiver with shaking hands. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. In the end, she just shook her head and walks out of her room. Time to face whomever was calling themselves Steve Trevor.

The elevator ride seems to go much too slow for her tastes. The doors open in several floors and Diana resists the urge to simply jump down from the stairs. And then they reach the lobby. She exits the elevator with her head held high. And there, standing tall and chatting with the receptionist, is a figure she knows too well.

It’s Steve. Her Steve.

“Steve?” Her own voice sounds strange in her ears.

The man turns and yes, without a shadow of a doubt, Steve Trevor is smiling at her. Bright blue eyes sparkle, the same smile she has missed, same blond hair. “Diana!”

Diana rushes towards him and Steve meets her in the middle. She holds onto him and feels a sob wreck through her. “You’re back,” her voice is shaking and tears are now falling freely. “Gods have mercy, you are back.”

“Yeah,” Steve’s voice is shaky also. “I’m here now love. Sorry to make you wait.”

Diana takes a step back and grabs Steve’s face. He’s crying too. “It doesn’t matter,” she says. “You’re here now, oh I missed you so.”

“I love you,” Steve says through his tears. “I love you so much and now, here we are. And now we have time.”

Diana chokes a laugh. “I love you too. And I’m glad you’re back. You’re not going to go away are you.”

“No,” Steve says gently. “I’m alive. I was reincarnated, I won’t leave your side anymore. Until I die again - hopefully of old age.”

“That is good to hear,” Diana smiles. “That is very good indeed.”

“So,” Steve winks at her. “How about a date?”

Diana beams at him. “Of course.”

Steve bows and offers his arm and Diana takes it. “Then, let us go and have some fun. And then you can tell me of everything that I missed.”

“And you must tell me everything. Counting my uncle is letting you, that is.”

Steve grins, “Oh, I can tell you now. I just couldn’t tell you before I came back and I had some restrictions, but now, we can be together. C'mon on, I hear there’s a good French bistro nearby and quite frankly, I miss French food.”

Diana laughs and follows Steve to the door of the hotel. Outside, the sun is shining and Diana thinks it has never been brighter.

[twocandles]

Christmas Trees - Victoria-(Series-2)-Episode-0009-ITV Press Preview // ITV Press Centre. [x]

So I just found this clip and a summary for the Christmas special “Comfort and Joy” and I’m DYING.

SPOILERS in both the video and the summary but I want to point out that this happens in 1846, so that is still the same year where we left them at the end of 2x08, right? Which will make certain things even more wtf-worthy, probably.

And this apparently runs from 9.00pm - 11.00pm???? I’m not sure my heart can handle THIS MUCH CONTENT.

Summary here:

Set in Christmas 1846, the episode sees Victoria uncharacteristically melancholy as she prepares to tackle her first Christmas without her beloved Baroness Lehzen. Pregnant with her and Albert’s fourth child, the festive period reminds her of her lonely childhood spent at Kensington. Albert, on the other hand is gripped by an obsession with staging the perfect family Christmas, transforming the palace into a magical festive wonderland. Tensions arise between him and Victoria, however, when Albert invites some unwelcome house guests to join the celebrations. 

Below stairs, having accepted their feelings for one another, Francatelli and Skerrett are finally together. However, as romances amongst staff are forbidden, the pair cannot show that they’re in love to their co-workers which puts strain on the relationship. The situation complicates further when Skerrett inherits a large estate from an estranged uncle.

Cast: Also reprising their roles in the historical drama are Dame Diana Rigg (Game Of Thrones) as the Duchess of Buccleuch, Alex Jennings (The Lady In The Van) as King Leopold, Peter Firth (Spooks) as the King of Hanover, David Oakes (The White Queen) as the Duke of Coburg, Margaret Clunie (Endeavour) as the Duchess of Sutherland, Catherine Flemming (Tatort) as the Duchess of Kent, Jordan Waller (Love & Friendship) and Lord Alfred Paget and Bebe Cave (Frankie) as Miss Wilhelmina Coke. Below stairs Nell Hudson (Outlander) returns as Mrs Skerrett, Ferdinand Kingsley (Borgia) as chef Francatelli and Adrian Schiller (The Secret Agent) as Penge.

[i-bobjia]

Manteaux Desiguia Soldes

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[alwaysforyouscully]

One per pairing

I was tagged by @martymulders Without which characters (one per pairing) could you have survived without? 1. Mulder or Scully? 2. Doggett or Reyes? 3. CSM or Krycek? 4. Skinner or The Lone Gunmen? 5. Phoebe or Diana? 6. Kersh or Jeffrey Spender? 7. Deep Throat or X? 8. Billy Miles or Bounty Hunter? 9. Marita Covarrubias or Bill Scully jr? 10. Albert Holsteen or Melissa? 11. Maggie Scully or Gibson Praise? 12. Emily or William? 13. Queequeg or Pendrell? 14. Samantha or Charles Scully? 15. Teena Mulder or William Mulder?

I had to think on this a bit. 1. Mulder 2. Doggett 3. Krycek? 4. The Lone Gunmen? 5. Phoebe 6. Jeffrey Spender? 7. Deep Throat 8. Billy Miles 9. Bill Scully jr? 10. Albert Holsteen 11. Maggie Scully 12. William 13. Pendrell? 14. Samantha 15. William Mulder?

16. You can add your own. I’m tagging @thisisnothappening and @samanthascully and @gentlemenonduty You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But, I want to know how far this post can go.

[settle-down-frohike]

One per pairing (tagged by @martymulders​)

Without which characters (one per pairing) could you have survived without? 1. Mulder or Scully? 2. Doggett or Reyes? 3. CSM or Krycek? 4. Skinner or The Lone Gunmen? 5. Phoebe or Diana? 6. Kersh or Jeffrey Spender? 7. Deep Throat or X? 8. Billy Miles or Bounty Hunter? 9. Marita Covarrubias or Bill Scully jr? 10. Albert Holsteen or Melissa? 11. Maggie Scully or Gibson Praise? 12. Emily or William? 13. Queequeg or Pendrell? 14. Samantha or Charles Scully? 15. Teena Mulder or William Mulder?

I tag @mangokiwitropicalswirl and @scully-loves-ruthie​ and anyone else who wants to play along! 

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: The Novelty and Excess of American Design During the Jazz Age

“Muse with Violin Screen” (detail) (1930) from Rose Iron Works, Inc., designed by Paul Fehér, wrought iron, brass, silver and gold plating (courtesy the Cleveland Museum of Art, on Loan from the Rose Iron Works Collections, © Rose Iron Works Collections, photo by Howard Agriesti)

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s is billed as the “first major museum exhibition to focus on American taste in design during the exhilarating years of the 1920s.” Rather than narrow the lens on this era of rapid cultural and technological change, this concentration on the post-World War I United States is a lively, international showcase of design. “We felt very much that European exhibitions of Art Deco had tried to cover a broad swathe of things, but definitely from a European point of view, and either left out what was going on in America entirely, or dumped everything in but the kitchen sink,” Sarah Coffin, Cooper Hewitt’s curator and head of product design and decorative arts, told Hyperallergic.

“Study for Maximum Mass Permitted by the 1916 New York Zoning Law, Stage 4” (1922), designed by Hugh Ferriss, black crayon, stumped, pen and black ink, brush and black wash, varnish on illustration board; 26 5/16 x 20 1/16 inches (courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, photo by Matt Flynn, © Smithsonian Institution)

Coffin co-organized The Jazz Age with Stephen Harrison, curator of decorative art and design at the Cleveland Museum of Art. After closing at the New York museum in August, the exhibition will open in Cleveland this September. The collections of both institutions majorly informed the structure and themes of The Jazz Age. “It was when the traditionally minded Cooper Hewitt had started to acquire contemporary design,” Coffin said of the 1920s at the Manhattan museum. During the Cooper Hewitt’s recent multi-year renovation, these holdings came to light. “We began to realize how much material that we had from the 1920s that had been little exhibited, if at all,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Museum of Art has several pieces acquired from the influential Paris 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Exploring the two floors of The Jazz Age is a bombastic visual experience, and any museumgoer who attempts to read every label, to examine each of the over 400 objects, may quickly find their brain saturated. Of course, decadence, novelty, and a collision of colors, styles, and shapes are part of what made the Roaring Twenties so dynamic. As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his 1931 essay “Echoes of the Jazz Age“: “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.”

Installation view of The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Centered on themes like “Bending the Rules” and “Abstraction and Reinvention,” The Jazz Age offers curated tableaux of furniture, flapper dresses, paintings, Prohibition-era cocktail shakers, and all manner of objects to demonstrate influences across media. Many of the featured designers were immigrating from Europe, or having their creations imported to the United States. Others were Americans who went abroad to study and train, picking up tubular metal techniques at the Bauhaus in Germany or ideas for bold hues from De Stijl in the Netherlands. For example, Ruth Reeves studied textiles with Fernand Léger in Paris before she worked on abstracted designs for Radio City Music Hall, and Viktor Schreckengost melded his sculpture studies in Vienna with Michael Powolny with his Ohio pottery background.

“What we were trying to do was show that all this innovation was very much the vibrant conversation of people from many countries coming together in the rising urban environment of New York and places across the country, and interacting across the board in every medium,” Coffin said. She added that the “overall impact of this was an extraordinary amalgamation of designers from a variety of countries who came here with an interest in bringing some of their modern design thinking to American soil.”

“Tissu Simultané no. 46 (Simultaneous Fabric no. 46)” (1924), designed by Sonia Delaunay, printed silk, 18 5/16 x 25 9/16 inches (courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, © Smithsonian Institution)

Installation view of The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The installations in The Jazz Age reflect this rise of international exchange. British designer Wells Coates’s green, circular Bakelite radio, one of the manufacturing innovations being spread to the new middle class, rests on German designer Kem Weber’s sage-hued, streamlined sideboard, which was also intended for serial production. Russian-born craftsman Samuel Yellin’s curling wrought iron fire screen mingles with Lorentz Kleiser’s monumental tapestry showing Newark’s transformation from an indigenous village to an orderly town, both pieces demonstrating the endurance of historical European aesthetics. A towering “Skyscraper Bookcase” of California redwood with black lacquer, all designed by Austrian émigré Paul Frankl, incorporates the zoning-enforced architectural setbacks of the new skyscrapers, something which Erik Magnussen’s Cubic coffee service with its silver angles does on a smaller scale.

“It’s in those conversations where we hope that people can see if we put a beige and gray Jean Dunand enamel vase next to a similarly colored dress that it shows that these colors are the palette of the era,” Coffin said. “You start seeing connections, like an Edgar Brandt screen influencing the Rose Iron Works of Cleveland. It all keeps bouncing back and forth.”

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

“The New Yorker” (Jazz) Punch Bowl (1931), designed by Viktor Schreckengost, manufactured by Cowan Pottery Studio (Rocky River, Ohio), glazed, molded earthenware; 11 3/4 x 16 5/8 inches (courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, © Smithsonian Institution)

A portrait of Hattie Carnegie by Jean Dunand (1925) with a day dress designed by Marcel Goupy (1919-20) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

A trophy designed by Jean E. Puiforcat for a 1923 figure skating competition at the Palais de Glaces in Paris (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Paul Manship, “Actaeon (1925), bronze (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

“Mystery Clock with Single Axle” (1921), produced by Cartier (Paris, France); owned by Anna Dodge; gold, platinum, ebonite, citrine, diamonds, enamel; 5 1/16 × 3 13/16 × 1 7/8 inches (Cartier Collection, photo by Marian Gerard, © Cartier)

Accessories and barware, including a silver owl-shaped cocktail shaker designed by Peer Smed (1931), a design that hid its function during Prohibition (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

An evening dress and underslip designed by Gabrielle Chanel and produced by House of Chanel, made from blue silk chiffon with applied blue ombré silk fringe (1926) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Pair of wrought iron and bronze gates designed by René Paul Chambellan for the entrance to the executive office suite of the Chanin Building in New York (1928) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

“Tourbillons Vase” (1926), designed by Suzanne Lalique for René Lalique; pressed, carved, acid-etched and enameled glass; 7 15/16 x 6 7/8 inches (courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, © Smithsonian Institution)

Installation view of The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

A daybed designed by Frederick Kiesler (1933-35) and Aaron Douglas’s “Painting, Go Down Death” (1934) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

A bergere chair designed by Paul Follot after Robert Bonfils, manufactured by Tapisserie des Gobelins and L’Ecole Boulle (1922-25), featuring an airplane (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Detail of a door designed by Edgar Brandt inspired by Persian manuscripts (1923) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Woman’s wool knit striped bathing suit (1920s) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

A wrought iron and gilding firescreen designed by Edgar Brandt (1925) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

A ten-panel screen made of gilt and lacquered wood with patinated bronze, designed by Armand-Albert Rateau (1921-22) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Installation view of The Jazz Age at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Detail of a linen textile designed by Thomas Lamb, manufactured by DuPont Rayon Company, with the Diana’s leaping gazelle motif that was popular at the 1925 Paris Exposition (1920-29) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s continues at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (2 East 91st Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan) through August 20. 

The post The Novelty and Excess of American Design During the Jazz Age appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[arklay]

seeing stars.

pairing: diana x albert wesker words: 9.2k warnings: absent parents, canonical child neglect, descriptions of the effects of uninvolved parenting, brief mentions of food [read on ao3] — [part two]

What was she doing?

Diana had found herself sitting outside the front of Wesker’s house, fingers absent-mindedly curling and uncurling around her steering wheel as she chewed on her lip. She could easily back out of his driveway and head to her apartment like she’d intended to, before he could even realise she had been there, but no – instead, she decided to take him up on his offer for dinner at his house.

It was a foolish thing, really, to be as excited as she was to see him again so soon after they had only just run into one another that afternoon. Or perhaps intrigued was a more fitting word for how curious she was to see what it was he wanted.

She had been cleaning up the lab for the day – much earlier than usual as she itched to head out and look over some files she wasn’t supposed to have access to – when Wesker had rung her out of nowhere, asking if she wished to join him that evening. That silver tongue of his was rather annoying, in all honesty, especially considering how thrilled she’d been at the date she had planned with those reports and a nice bottle of wine.

As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to see him again.

Diana sighed to herself the moment she opened her car door and stepped out into the night air, feeling the cool breeze biting at her skin. As if the shorter days weren’t enough already, the evenings carried this awfully unpleasant chill that had her cursing her decision to wear a skirt; the sheer nylon covering her legs did little to stave off the cool air as icy needles worked their way through the fabric and pricked at her skin.

The mountains in the distance looked quite beautiful though; a blanket of yellows, reds, and the odd green had been draped over the slope facing the city, as if the forest had been set ablaze, almost. She didn’t really want to think about what would happen if that were to ever occur, not only because it reminded her too much of back home, but because she would feel horrible for the adders she so loved to observe.

And she had made quite a few fond memories on the trails – one, in particular, she still thought of too often for the fact that neither she nor Wesker had brought it up again after such an incident had occurred.

Quickly plucking her handbag from the passenger seat, Diana slung it over her shoulder then shut her car door with a bit too much force, as though that would somehow stop the obnoxious fluttering in her stomach caused by such inane thoughts.

It was simply the result of a few drinks, that’s all.

That was quite a fun little tale she liked to tell herself, considering neither of them had even had a buzz on that night.

Who knew the cold, conceited, and terribly callous Albert Wesker could be so… tender with her? It didn’t matter, she would do best to forget that stupid camping trip had ever happened and just move on.

Leaning down, Diana took one more quick glance at herself in the side-view mirror while she worked on locking her car. She couldn’t tell whether the flush across her cheeks was because of the chilling winds or if her mind was to blame, but it pulled a rather dramatic sigh from her, regardless.

With the click of her lock, she pulled her key from the door and shoved her hands into her coat pockets. That was another thing she was chastising herself for; Diana had forgotten her gloves that morning, even after repeatedly telling herself the whole time she had been getting ready to remember to take them. She could even picture right where they were sitting on the top of her dresser.

Honestly, Diana didn’t know why she suddenly felt this overwhelming need to pick apart every little thing she’d done recently, and tell herself off for it at that. It was just that the last thing she had expected to be doing tonight was standing outside of Wesker’s house when she had far more important things to be doing.

Dinner together was… unwise. A waste of time. And yet, here she was.

The short walk to his door felt impossibly long, and she looked around the front of his house, taking in the exterior of it like she’d done countless times before. There were no houseplants present to give it life, the doormat was plain black rubber, and although there was room on his porch for a bistro set, or perhaps a bench, it was simply barren. He was always more concerned with the necessities, but it would do him some good to at least add something out here, even just to make it unique compared to the other, almost identical houses it sat amongst.

Despite its decorations, or lack thereof, his proud little house always brought her some comfort. Diana wasn’t sure why exactly. Perhaps because there was some charm to it – or something of the like. Her apartment was nice enough, although a bit cramped for her tastes, but to have a home in this area would be much more preferable; the affluent suburbs on the eastside of the city housed the elite, where she belonged, not some drab apartment building at the centre of commotion.

She shouldn’t be entertaining such nonsensical thoughts anyhow, not when she was simply on a job. Still, two years in Raccoon City and she was stuck with that little thing in Uptown when she deserved much better.

It was of little concern, really; hopefully she wouldn’t be here much longer and she could return to the house she’d purchased as a treat to herself following her “divorce” – though that notion only made her chest feel tighter as opposed to the reassurance she was trying to garner.

As soon as Diana rang the doorbell, her hand retreated to the safety of her warm coat just as quickly as it had left it. There was this churning in the pit of her stomach, telling her something was off, different, and yet she wasn’t sure why. It was only dinner, but to be seeing him again so soon truly was a bit peculiar to her; they usually only ran into one another a couple of times a week, if that.

She was overthinking things again.

But it was his fault for complicating matters between them a few months back. Or so she chose to believe, unwilling to take responsibility for her share of the blame. Although, he was the one who decided to say that she belonged to him in the middle of one of their recent trysts, that she was his, and she couldn’t quite let that go.

It didn’t take long before the front door opened and she was met with a rather worn out looking man, the very same one who had managed to distract her from her work. Wesker was missing his signature sunglasses and Diana found that rather curious; they were almost like a permanent fixture on his face, only really coming off when they slept together, but their absence was something she wasn’t really used to day-to-day.

She was certainly not complaining though. There was something about those icy blues of his that never failed to lure her in.

“Diana,” Wesker said in greeting, a slight hint of surprise seeping into his otherwise dry tone, “I did not expect you here so soon.”

After his eyes scanned over her once more, he simply stepped aside in the doorway with one of his hands gesturing for her to come in. Despite how flat his voice sounded compared to how he usually was with her of late, Diana chuckled as she brushed past him, withdrawing her hand from her coat again to reach out and slowly trail her fingertips up his arm as she did so. That earned her a barely noticeable shake of his head.

“Oh, please. I thought you valued punctuality,” she teased as she abandoned his arm and brought her hands in front of herself to rub them together instead, revelling in the warmth his home greeted her with. “Or perhaps I just enjoy irritating you, always being too early.”

Wesker scoffed while turning away from her to close the door, no doubt trying to stop any more of that dreaded breeze from coming in, but the smirk pulling on Diana’s lips vanished in an instant. A sudden wave of disappointment washed over her at the lack of any of his usual retort to her teasing.

Quietly sighing to herself, Diana turned her back on him in kind, directing her attention towards whatever that scent was that wafted into the foyer. She couldn’t quite place what he was in the middle of cooking, but there was most definitely garlic butter involved, and it smelt divine.

However, that diversion didn’t occupy her for long, because Wesker’s rich cologne decided to invade her senses instead, shortly followed by the light press of his body against her own. She almost leaned back to feel him closer, to slot into the space made for her, as his hot breath warmed her ear, but she managed to stop herself at the last minute.

“You look lovely tonight, my dear.” His voice was low and almost a purr, reserved for only her to hear, and Diana would have rolled her eyes if not for the pleasant shiver that ran down her spine.

It wasn’t like she’d changed her attire since he’d seen her a few hours ago, when he had dropped in to her lab after speaking to William, when he had handed her one of those awful coffees from the cafeteria, and when he had asked her how her project was progressing – the project she should still be working on at the minute.

And she had a sneaking suspicion the wind had left her with more stray hairs than she would like, leaving her looking far worse off than she had that afternoon. So, she didn’t see much reason for his flattery, even if it did make her heart speed up a little.

Wesker left a fleeting kiss below her ear then reached around and hooked his fingers beneath her coat, prompting Diana to glance back at him. But all he did was gently pull it from her shoulders. She watched him from out of the corner of her eye as he hung it up on the rack by the door, his movements careful and almost calculated, until he turned back towards her, and the warmth of his body returned once more.

He pressed up against her side this time, as opposed to her back, and one of his hands found a home on her waist. The way the arm it belonged to was resting firmly against her as he began leading her towards the kitchen was comforting, secure, yet unmistakably possessive. And she revelled in it.

He had quite a knack for handling her just the way she wanted.

Diana let out a quiet sigh when Wesker stopped them by the dining table and the pressure on the small of her back lessened ever so slightly. She turned in his hold to look up at him, only to find that his eyes were already wandering over her. Those awfully pretty eyes, no longer concealed by his glasses. What she didn’t expect was for him to reach up with his free hand and brush the backs of his fingers across her cheek, and she cursed the flutter that appeared in her stomach at that.

Wesker cradled her chin and merely looked into her eyes for a moment. How blown her pupils were, accompanied by so much warmth, continued to bring forth conflicting feelings for him; he wasn’t sure whether to be unsettled or esteemed by what he could only call adoration on her part. And he was too tired to worry about it tonight.

In an effort to move on from that train of thought, he brushed his thumb over her chin then left a quick peck on her lips. His hand on her back had lingered for a moment too long as he pulled away from her, but he only withdrew to return to his place at the stove, where he’d been busy cooking before she had arrived.

Diana bit down on her lip when she caught the smile that had somehow managed to work its way there while she had been simply watching him. She found that rather pathetic, in all honesty, but he had a way of drawing such treacherous reactions from her.

With a dramatic roll of her eyes and a quiet huff to herself, she shrugged her handbag off of her shoulder and placed it on one of the seats at the dining table. That’s when Diana finally noticed that there were three sets of cutlery laid out on its surface.

She quickly glanced over at Wesker, but he was entirely focused on the pans in front of him, so she could only stare at the rather odd display instead. He hadn’t mentioned anyone else would be joining them when he’d called her, and the absence of wine glasses for once was a bit strange. She would have been annoyed at him for whatever this turn of events was if not for how fascinated she was by it all.

The sound of someone coming down the stairs pulled her from her thoughts soon enough. Soft, uneven steps, as though whoever they belonged to was perhaps skipping down. Another odd occurrence, especially considering the only cars out front were hers and Wesker’s.

The cause of said noise bounded into the open dining area with a hurried glance at the front door then abruptly stopped after catching sight of Diana, hesitating to venture any further in the presence of a stranger.

A little girl.

No more than ten years old, if Diana had to guess. She could have sworn she looked familiar, but from where, she couldn’t quite place. It was right there – the nagging feeling that she knew who this was, sitting at the back of her mind, just out of reach. And it was beyond frustrating.

The girl with big blue eyes that matched her school uniform gave Diana an apprehensive, barely-there smile as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Diana’s staring was no doubt making her uncomfortable, the way her eyes kept darting between her and Wesker was proof of that, but she was too busy trying to piece together who she was to even care.

Suddenly, the girl hurried over to Wesker and latched onto his side furthest from Diana. It was as though she was using him as a protective barrier of sorts, and that was more amusing than it should’ve been. However, the sight that followed next took Diana by surprise.

Wesker placed a hand on the top of her head in greeting, and Diana noticed the way he brushed her fringe aside then carefully tucked one of the many stray blonde strands that had come loose from her pigtails behind her ear. A small smile crossed the girl’s face at that, but she still stayed glued to his side, holding onto his shirt even when he returned to stirring the contents of the pan occupying his attention.

That was weird to Diana; she would’ve expected him to be annoyed by this child hanging off of him while he was in the middle of doing something, but then again, she had no idea who this child was exactly.

For a while, the girl only peeked around Wesker every now and again to look at the tall, frightening woman across the room. This stranger was definitely not who she had expected to see when she had rushed down the stairs at the sound of multiple voices, and it left her feeling somewhat deflated, though much more on edge.

When she tightened her hold on Wesker again, the sound of paper crumpling reminded her of the rolled-up drawing in one of her hands, which she’d completely forgotten about amidst her surprise.

“Oh! Here.” She perked up a little as she freed Wesker’s shirt from her grasp to stand back and unroll the piece of paper, then she proudly presented it to him. “It’s you, mommy and daddy!”

Wesker looked down with a raised brow, and Diana could only watch from afar as he seemed to study the child’s drawing. His head tilted to the side and she could’ve sworn she saw the corners of his lips twitch, even if it was only faint.

“Very good,” he said, tone a touch too dry, but the girl beamed at his praise, regardless. Then Wesker leaned down to whisper in her ear, an elusive hint of mischief laced through his voice, “But why is your father so tall?”

The little girl’s brows knit together in confusion as she stared at him for a moment, then she turned the drawing around in her hands to direct the same gaze to it as well. The way her head tilted to the side was much more dramatic than Wesker’s had been, and she chewed on her bottom lip as she inspected her own art, trying to figure out what he meant.

Looking back up at him after no more than a minute, she giggled then blurted out, “You’re the same height, silly!”

Wesker was almost offended by that little remark, but he only huffed out a quiet chuckle and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. There was a much more pressing matter he needed to tend to instead of getting defensive over a child’s drawing that was obviously inaccurate.

As soon as he turned around, his eyes locked on to his guest – his beautiful, brilliant guest, who was now leaning against the kitchen wall with a slight smile on her lips and her arms crossed in front of her chest. It was an odd state of affairs, that was for sure, but he supposed he’d have to make do with the change of plans. The least he could do was introduce the two of them, or Sherry would probably want to rush off and eat her dinner in the spare room he’d put together for her a while back.

“Sherry, this is Diana,” Wesker said while gesturing a hand in the latter’s direction.

Ah, the Birkin girl. That makes sense. The fact that she hadn’t put that together sooner made Diana feel like an absolute moron, especially considering she’d seen that family portrait on Annette’s desk countless times before. It was painstakingly obvious to her now though, the resemblance to William clear as day – with the nervous energy to boot.

Sherry only turned to look over at Diana as well, and the hesitation from earlier took hold of her once more as she was reminded that there was someone unfamiliar in the house. When she didn’t say anything, only keeping her eyes trained on Diana – as though tearing her gaze away would have unforeseen consequences – Wesker sighed.

“Where are your manners, darling?” he asked, trying to prompt her to introduce herself, but that only made her chew on her lip while she nervously played with the corners of her drawing. It took another quick glance from him before Sherry shifted on her feet and nodded, more to herself in encouragement than in response to him.

“I’m…” Her voice was faint, barely even a whisper, so she paused and took a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before trying again. “I’m Sherry, nice to meet you.” A timid smile was offered afterwards until her eyes went comically wide and she hurriedly added, “Ma’am!”

Diana didn’t want to laugh at the poor thing; it was obvious she was unsettled by her presence. Unless she truly was just shy. Knowing who her parents were though, Diana wouldn’t be surprised if Sherry was raised to look at everyone she met with suspicion. A good way to be, in her opinion, and not entirely unwarranted in this case.

It was a bit strange, however, that Diana hoped the girl didn’t know that she worked with her parents. In a manner of speaking, that is. She couldn’t care less about the G-Virus, or Umbrella, but the Hunters were a fun little project she was very glad she had gotten her hands on. Annette and William were… okay, but they were always at the lab, even hours after she left most nights. She’d never really thought about the ramifications that would have for their daughter before, that she was probably left on her own quite often and not given nearly enough attention.

And that pissed her off.

Perhaps she shouldn’t play the “wicked witch” tonight – a nickname William liked to call her when he thought she couldn’t hear him. There was no reason to make the girl more anxious than she already was. Uncrossing her arms, Diana crouched down, not moving any closer towards Sherry but simply showing her that she wasn’t a threat.

Sherry looked up at Wesker and he nodded. “She doesn’t bite.”

The way his eyes locked on to Diana’s once the words left his mouth, a glint present in those otherwise tired blues, made her clench her jaw in an effort to stop how her lips wanted to pull upwards. She would’ve punched him in the shoulder for that if she was standing next to him, but instead, she could only send a glare his way.

That was rewarded with the smug smirk she’d grown quite accustomed to over the past year, and by God, did she want to wipe that off of his face.

Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating, he was.

Wesker only tore his eyes from hers to look down at the stove. With a quiet hum, he turned off the burners and spoke in Sherry’s direction again. “Then wash up. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Sherry, unaware of their silent exchange, placed her drawing down on the counter and Wesker glanced at it once more from out of the corner of his eye. It was ridiculous, but that image reminded him of what felt like simpler times – when they had all been much closer; William wasn’t as paranoid back then, though still painfully obsessive, and he wasn’t so… fed up, to put it lightly.

Sighing to himself, he reached up to pull three bowls out of a cabinet, but Sherry was still lingering at his side. It took another small nod of encouragement before she walked closer to where Diana was patiently waiting, the woman’s eerie eyes only wandering over her, but that just made Sherry play with her hands again.

Diana forced out a sweet smile in hopes to ease the girl’s anxiety, trying her best not to scare her anymore than she already had, though she wondered how insincere it must look. Truth is, she was just as uneasy around this child as she was around her.

Then she realised that she hadn’t actually spoken since Sherry had wandered into the kitchen. Not even a word. And that probably wasn’t helping matters much. She had simply been too interested in observing the way Wesker interacted with Sherry that she hadn’t even thought to speak up; it would’ve only disrupted the opportunity she’d been given to see him like this, when she wasn’t sure she’d ever get another chance.

“I’m Diana.” She reluctantly held out her hand as she spoke, trying to subdue any disgust that threatened to seep out onto her features.

Oh, how she wished she was wearing her gloves right about now. Children were such repulsive little things in her eyes, always getting their hands dirty then touching everything they could. The smudging of colours on the side of Sherry’s hand certainly wasn’t doing Diana any favours.

A large grin spread across Sherry’s face and her eyes lit up at finally hearing the imposing figure’s voice. Curiously enough though, she mouthed Diana’s name to herself, like she was sounding it out and noting the slight difference in pronunciation from how both she and Wesker had said it, and Diana was quite surprised the girl had even picked up on that. It wasn’t obvious like a certain other pronunciation – which she despised – but Wesker’s was far more… American.

Sherry reached out and tentatively took hold of Diana’s hand, shaking it softly. All Diana could think of in that moment was how fragile that tiny hand felt in hers, and it was weird. Everything happening tonight was weird. Sherry, on the other hand, seemed much more interested in scanning her face now that she could see her up close.

Realising she was still holding on to Diana’s hand, Sherry quickly let it go and pulled her own away like she’d been burnt all of a sudden. While clasping it with its pair in front of herself, she offered the woman another smile. “You’re really pretty!”

Diana actually let out a genuine little chuckle at that, and she didn’t miss the way Wesker glanced over his shoulder to look at the two of them. “Thank you.”

“Uncle Albert?” Sherry turned her head to look over at him and he only hummed in acknowledgement. “Don’t you think she’s really pretty?”

“She is,” Wesker agreed. His voice was softer than it had been all evening, and that, combined with the slight upturn of his lips, made Diana’s heart jump in her chest.

Perhaps she gazed at him for a moment too long, because Sherry curiously looked back and forth between the two of them with wide eyes. Her lips curled up at the corners then she leaned in closer to Diana, almost as if she wished to tell her a secret.

She made no attempt to lower her voice, however.

“Are you Uncle Albert’s girlfriend?”

And that was why Diana chose not to converse with children if she could help it.

Her eyes flitted over to Wesker again, and he seemed a touch more tense than before, jaw clenched and shoulders practically drawn up to his ears. Although he busied himself with serving up their dishes, his movements were rigid, and Diana didn’t know what to think of that. She did, however, feel rather proud of herself for being able to get a read on him when most couldn’t.

That was unfortunate for Wesker though, because it gave her an idea. A terrible one, but an idea, nonetheless.

Diana hunched down a little lower and rounded her shoulders to mirror Sherry’s stance, prompting the girl to shuffle a slight bit closer as her grin widened. “I’m not quite sure. Perhaps you should ask Uncle Albert that question.”

Sherry turned around swiftly on her heels, facing him with renewed curiosity. Diana shouldn’t have thought the whole ordeal hilarious; she was most certainly not his girlfriend, or perhaps she was blissfully unaware that the situation they had found themselves in definitely made her seem as such, but it was simply fun to push his buttons.

The moment the girl opened her mouth to ask him instead, Wesker cut her off before she could even get a chance. “Why don’t you go wash up?”

The bite to his tone made Sherry freeze on the spot; she was as still as a statue, save for her eyes moving between the two adults to scan over them. Little good that did as she couldn’t quite gauge what was wrong. The air in the room felt much heavier than before, hanging around them like a thick fog. Or more like steam, considering how her cheeks began to burn up from shame.

She had only asked a simple question, she didn’t mean to make him mad.

Sherry nodded, a bit too quickly, then hung her head and hurried out of the room. The sigh that sounded from behind her fell on deaf ears as she was too focused on navigating her way to her room instead of the bathroom, counting her steps as she went.

The moment the girl was out of sight, Diana stood up from her crouched position and took a moment to brush any creases out of her skirt. While readjusting the hem to lay straight right above her knees, her eyes stayed fixed on Wesker – or more accurately, his back, now that he’d turned away from her.

You’re no fun, she thought to herself while her tongue pressed against the side of her cheek for merely a fraction of a second.

She crossed the distance between them to position herself at his side, leaning against the counter on her hip while her eyes wandered over his profile. He wouldn’t even look at her. If she knew he was going to get so sour over a little joke, she wouldn’t have said anything in the first place.

“Are you mad at me?” Diana asked while leaning in closer towards him. The way she spoke was in a far more mocking manner than she should have, the pout in her voice entirely to draw a reaction from him.

Wesker sighed once more then finally looked at her. “No.”

That was all he said before he continued to neatly arrange the dirtied pans and utensils he’d used by the sink, so Diana chose not to push what must be a touchy subject for him any further. He sounded exhausted, and that was the second time that night he hadn’t met her teasing, but at least his tone wasn’t harsh like before. His features had even softened ever so slightly when he’d looked at her – though that didn’t last long once he returned to his task.

Seeing him without his sunglasses like this was really something she wasn’t accustomed to; that made her wonder where they could possibly be if not perched atop that sharp nose of his. Their absence provided her with a sort of confronting view. When they’d fallen into bed, or tangled tongues, or even showered together on occasion, she had never really noticed, but now, outside of the heat of the moment and watching him do something so ordinary, she could see that he was wearing himself thin.

The dark circles under his eyes were quite telling of his position, juggling being Umbrella’s Chief of Security with being thrown into an undercover job that held a title of equal responsibility. Whoever thought that was a brilliant idea was clearly deluded, but Diana knew there was no one else more capable for the role.

It wasn’t her place to pass judgement anyhow. She was technically working three jobs, but it wasn’t really the same. The lines blurred more for her. She only had to send reports back to the company as she did her research within Umbrella, not continue to work in a lab with them as well. And her position at the university was merely a front before she’d head underground and take the cable car to the NEST.

Diana pressed her lips together then looked in the direction Sherry had disappeared off to. That was something she was still immensely curious about.

Tilting her head to the side as she let her gaze fall on him once more, she offered Wesker a subtle smile and brushed her hair back behind her ear. “You don’t seem the type to like children.”

“I don’t,” he admitted, “but she is an exception.”

Wesker said no more than that, clipped and short once again, and not bothering to elaborate any further. But the feeling of eyes boring a hole into the side of his head eventually made him acquiesce with a huff.

“I look after her when her parents are more concerned with their research.”

That harsh bite to his tone was back, and it caught Diana off guard this time. She didn’t realise he held such reservations towards his close friend, though she understood it more than she wished. A child deserves parents who will cherish them – even she could admit that. But she couldn’t tell if the way he spoke was because she had struck a nerve by entertaining Sherry’s questioning, or if the fact that the girl’s parents were so absent in her life actually bothered him. It could have also been that looking after her was taking up his own time when she wasn’t even his responsibility.

Diana reached out and ran her fingertips across his shoulder and towards his jaw. How he held his breath when they travelled up his neck always delighted her, but she only laid her hand flat against the side with her fingers curling around to his nape. After a short moment of her thumb slowly gliding back and forth along his jaw, Wesker leisurely turned his head from where he was still looking down at the sink and met her gaze.

The question in those weary blues drew another smile from Diana, slowly pulling on her lips and near crinkling the corners of her eyes. She lifted her hand and gently hooked her forefinger beneath his chin while pressing her thumb down against it, then she pulled him closer towards herself so she could press a soft kiss to his lips.

It lasted only a second. A brief touch of her lips to his own. But Wesker’s eyes remained closed even once she had withdrawn. His posture was still stiff, muscles pulled taut, and his nostrils flared when he inhaled. The crease between his brows had also deepened due to whatever battle he was fighting up in that head of his, but the last thing Diana wanted tonight was for him to go and believe she was pressuring him into making their “arrangement” more than what it was.

“Relax,” she whispered and he slowly opened his eyes, “I do not care to put a label on whatever this is. I simply enjoy your company.”

Diana was relieved to see the tension in his shoulders and jaw ease up at that, but why the topic was so difficult for him intrigued her. Perhaps his experience with committed relationships was not too dissimilar from her own. Or he truly just wanted something casual with her. Which was fine. And having to confront where they stood with one another was too much of a hassle. She couldn’t agree more.

She let go of his chin to rest her palm on his shoulder. “I only wished to poke fun, but this was… unexpected.”

“It’s fine. It was a joke,” Wesker replied dismissively.

“A joke that made you uncomfortable.” Diana averted her gaze, looking down at her hand instead, where her thumb was brushing along the stitching of his shirt. Then she softly shook her head. “It was in poor taste. We agreed this was… Nevermind. I shouldn’t have overstepped your boundaries like that.”

Wesker’s eyes narrowed as he observed her expression. She didn’t usually apologise for her admittedly endearing behaviour – he gathered that’s what she was trying to do, at least. Besides, if he wasn’t so tightly wound, and hadn’t heard his former partner’s name spoken in passing earlier that week, maybe such a comment wouldn’t have affected him to this extent.

He didn’t need her fretting over something as trivial as this though. It was clearly a slip up on his part, letting a joke like that make him uncomfortable in the first place.

“It’s fine,” Wesker repeated, not as terse as before, yet still more distant than how they had grown to be with one another. “She brought it up and—”

Diana placed her free hand over his clenched fist on the counter; he hadn’t even realised he’d done that. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

That, he was thankful for. She always seemed to know when he wasn’t ready to broach a topic, and she never held that against him. It wasn’t something he was used to; people always liked to pry into his personal matters and press him to open up when he didn’t want to, or when he simply wasn’t ready, but not Diana.

And she could read him so well. William was really the only person besides his sister who could see through him, understand him, and now there was her… Wesker didn’t know what he’d expected asking Diana to join him tonight when he was in a foul mood and she was clearly too busy, but it wasn’t this.

He hadn’t accounted for his whole day to go even further south after lunch either. It was getting harder to think, honestly, and despite being the one to invite her over in the first place, part of him just wanted to go to bed and end the day already.

Wesker reached up and covered the hand still resting on his shoulder with his own, and he gave it a light squeeze. That made warmth bloom from the centre of Diana’s chest, and she didn’t bother suppressing the smile that had managed to sneak its way onto her face. It only deepened when he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a fleeting kiss to the back of it, before he dropped it just as quickly.

He lifted two of the bowls off of the counter and manoeuvred past her towards the dining table, and Diana lightly shook her head, the smile on her lips not wavering in the slightest. Just like that, a moment ended in an instant. So, she picked up the last dish and followed suit, carefully placing it down where she usually sat.

It wasn’t odd for him to do that, especially not of late, when he would give her a peek into how tender he could be before catching himself, but what was unusual to her was how distracted he seemed. Diana had already gathered that he was tired, sure, but the way he glanced down at his watch, prompting a frown to etch into his features, like cracks in porcelain, made her well aware that something was wrong.

With only a curious look cast his way, Wesker revealed his thoughts to her almost instantly. “William was supposed to pick her up over an hour ago.”

Well then… It seemed as though his friend was definitely the cause of his ire. Whether it was because of Sherry’s wellbeing or because he preferred punctuality, it didn’t matter; it was William who had infuriated him, she only twisted the knife. Or so she believed.

“Oh? And here I thought this little dinner with her was all planned,” Diana playfully teased with a soft smirk pulling up the corner of her lips. That was rewarded with a small chuckle from Wesker.

How he had hung his head with a light nod to it as the quiet sound spilled from his lips brought about that revolting flutter in the pit of Diana’s stomach. She hated that feeling, well and truly hated it, yet she took his reaction as a win; all she could hope for was that her presence could ease the worries nagging at his mind tonight, even just a little. An arrogant belief, some might say, but she knew she could offer a bit of humour when she liked someone well enough.

Wesker’s eyes locked on to hers from across the table and it felt as if the world around them had fallen away, like time itself had stopped. For but a moment, it was just the two of them, no one else existed, and neither dared to move.

Things would be so much simpler if she had just kept her resolve a couple of months back and ended whatever this game of theirs was. She wouldn’t have to deal with these ridiculous reactions her body loved to have around him then.

He broke the stillness first, rounding the table to stand at her back, just like he’d done when he had welcomed her inside. Diana steadied herself by holding onto the top of the chair she should’ve just sat down in when they had walked over, but Wesker simply laid a hand on the side of her hip while the other reached up to brush her hair aside. His hot breath warmed her now-exposed neck, and Diana’s breath caught in her throat.

Like always, the press of his lips was so much softer than she had anticipated.

“I’ll be just a minute,” he whispered as he pulled away.

A single chaste kiss, placed right on the junction of her neck and shoulder. Molten sparks danced across every inch of Diana’s skin, and she was glad Wesker didn’t spare her so much as a glance when he walked past her and disappeared up the stairs; she had no doubt her cheeks were flushed pink, and that was embarrassing enough in and of itself.

She slumped down into her chair, rather unceremoniously at that, and let out a heavy sigh. Tonight would have been much better if she had just declined his offer, gone back to her miserable little apartment, and clinked glasses with that annoying robin that liked to sit and peck away at her window every morning.

Yeah, I want to attack my reflection as well, buddy. She’s a right moron.

Diana directed her attention towards the dish in front of her instead, and that didn’t help. Pasta with garlic butter prawns. Or shrimp, as he liked to correct her so often. That explained the mouth-watering scent she’d been enveloped in the moment she had walked in the door – but why did he have to cook one of her favourites tonight, of all nights? He was making it incredibly difficult for her to hate him.

Where was Sherry and her invasive little questions when she needed her?

The girl was taking much too long in washing up, and Diana selfishly wanted her to come back and distract her from the mess of thoughts going on inside her head. There was also the grumbling in her stomach, much more pronounced now that she’d finally got a proper look at what Wesker had cooked.

She didn’t have to wait long; the sound of a door clicking shut followed by two sets of footsteps made her look over towards the stairs. Sherry was skipping down them again, seeming happier than she had been when she’d left the kitchen earlier, and Wesker trailed behind her.

He rubbed at his forehead as he took his time walking down each step. A stark contrast to Sherry, who triumphantly hopped off the last one then dashed over to the dining table to stand at Diana’s side. She turned in her seat to face the girl, who had a large grin stretched across her face, and was immediately met with a drawing being presented to her this time around.

“This is for you!” Sherry proudly announced, holding the drawing out at arm’s length.

Diana felt frozen in place. She didn’t really know what to do in this sort of situation, and it was honestly rather puzzling to her that this little girl was raised – loosely speaking – by parents such as hers. Her cheerful and sweet nature seeped out through the cracks in her timid and distant demeanour, like rays of light shining from beyond the clouds on an overcast day. Why that disturbed her, Diana wasn’t sure. Perhaps because she felt as though this girl’s light may be extinguished given the hand she was dealt, that she would grow up and lose this spark.

Swallowing to rid herself of the horrid feeling sitting at the base of her throat, Diana reached out and carefully took the drawing from Sherry’s hands.

It was cute… That, she couldn’t deny. The image was of herself and Wesker – at least, that’s who she inferred the man with yellow hair and sunglasses was.

Upon further inspection, Diana noticed that the miniature versions of the two of them were holding hands, and that made her lips turn up far too easily. The last thing she would’ve expected a child to pull from her was a genuine smile, and over a drawing, of all things.

Diana looked back up at Sherry, though her fingers still danced over the back of the paper, almost as if she didn’t want to part with it just yet. “Thank you, Sherry.”

“Do you like it?” Sherry bounced on her feet as she spoke, and it hit Diana then.

She was once this little girl… So eager to show off what she was passionate about only for her parents to pay her no mind, to not care, so she would show anyone who took even the slightest interest – anyone who was remotely nice to her.

It damages a child, to have parents who are rarely home, who leave them to their own devices so often, then never show concern for their wellbeing. Her parents were like that: indifferent and absent for long stretches of time. And when they were home, Diana was made to feel like a bother. She hadn’t realised how much that had all affected her until she was in her twenties, when it was too late.

That was something she didn’t think much of anymore. It was easier that way. But for it to crop up tonight, amongst everything else… This visit had truly not panned out the way she had expected.

Diana placed the drawing down on the table and allowed her smile to properly take up residence across her face. It was the least she could do for the little girl. “I do. You are quite the artist.”

Sherry beamed at that before she hurried over to her seat; how her eyes lit up brought Diana a feeling similar to that of when she accomplished something with her work. It wasn’t quite pride, but more gentle and comforting. Fulfilling.

The moment Diana turned back to face Wesker, she was met with his eyes already firmly fixed on her. The unreadable look in them made her narrow her own, trying to prompt some clarification from him, but he only offered her this soft, almost appreciative, smile – as faint as it was.

And she returned the gesture in kind.

Dinner together was uneventful, devoid of their lengthy debates or discussing what had occurred for the both of them since seeing each other last. Diana’s teasing was also completely out of the question due to their little guest, who actually tried to bring up their relationship status out of nowhere once again. That ended in Wesker having to explain to her that not every woman who was in close proximity to him was his girlfriend, and yet Sherry had pressed on.

“But you really like her!”

Diana had tried not to laugh. The last thing she wanted was for Sherry to send him into cardiac arrest over whatever his troubles with relationships were. As harmless an inquiry it was, she understood the weight it could hold.

Wesker, on the other hand, wasn’t so dismissive. He had caught himself almost worrying over this conclusion Sherry had come to – if it actually held weight.

Sure, he enjoyed Diana’s company more than he cared to admit, and he often got too jealous for his own good when others showed an interest in her, but he didn’t consider her his girlfriend. That was such a juvenile term. Had he thought of her as a lover, or partner, from time to time? Unfortunately. But it was quite obvious to him that she preferred their “no strings attached” sort of arrangement.

They did spend an awful lot of time together though.

That didn’t necessarily mean they were together. Absolutely not. She was fascinating is all, and he found her games to be quite fun. Whatever attraction he had to her would fizzle out soon enough, as soon as he got bored – a blatant lie he liked to tell himself, considering how much it had bothered him when he was without her for a month, and the fact that said attraction had been going on for over a year at this point.

They were almost finished with their meals when one of the landlines went off; the shrill ringing made Wesker’s eyes squeeze shut of their own accord, though for merely half a second. He sighed as he stood up to go and answer it, and one of his hands smoothed down Sherry’s hair as he passed by her.

It was late, and the poor girl looked as though she was going to fall asleep right at the table – fork in hand and all. Diana wondered if she had a bedroom in Wesker’s house that she could stay in for the night; she had no doubt Sherry’s parents had stayed at work until dawn on occasion, so surely he had something arranged for her whenever such an incident occurred. At least, she hoped so.

She watched the way Sherry was staring off in the direction Wesker had gone. The side of her hand was resting on the table, fork in a loose grasp between her fingers and merely sitting on the food left in her bowl. Diana slowly reached across the table and gently tapped one of her fingers on the surface beside it a few times to capture her attention.

“Finish up your dinner,” she quietly said, keeping her voice softer for the girl once their eyes had met.

Sherry nodded and looked back down at her food before she began picking at it. The utter dejection in her eyes shouldn’t have made Diana’s heart crack in two. Since when did she care about the feelings of children? The girl’s low spirits could easily be attributed to how tired she was, and what a long day she had been through seeing some strange woman in a space so familiar to her. It certainly wasn’t because of her situation that hit a little too close to home for Diana… That was absurd.

However, Diana did really want to give the girl’s parents an earful the next time she saw them in the lab.

She glanced over to where Sherry had been looking and caught sight of Wesker in the lounge room, pinching the bridge of his nose while he spoke on the phone. She couldn’t make out any of what was being said, he was too far away for that, but he looked even more frustrated than before.

Wesker let out a heavy sigh before he said what was barely even a farewell and hung up. Diana noticed how his jaw clenched for a second, before he shook his head. He made his way back over to the table and Sherry looked up at him expectantly; her eyes were open wide and a hopeful smile was scarcely contained at the corners of her lips.

“Your mother is on her way,” he said, then cocked his head in the direction of the stairs. “Why don’t you go and gather your things?”

Sherry’s brief excitement vanished in an instant then. “Daddy said he’d pick me up.”

The words had barely left her mouth they were so quiet, but Diana could recognise the resignation amongst the hurt. This wasn’t new. It was as if the girl was used to this, like she had accounted for the possibility but had still held onto a small glimmer of hope, and that bothered Diana far too much. She had been trying so hard to convince herself that the situation wasn’t that bad.

“I know, darling.” Wesker placed his hands on her shoulders once she had slipped out of her chair. He slowly rubbed up and down her arms for a moment, in some futile attempt to comfort her, before he guided her towards the stairs. “Go on.”

The two of them watched Sherry drag herself out of the room, making no attempt to properly lift her feet as she walked. It made for a dreadful sight, honestly, one Diana wished she hadn’t seen. She waited until Sherry had gone up the stairs, where she was sure the girl was well out of earshot, then she looked up at Wesker.

“Does this happen often?” she asked, keeping her voice relatively low, yet unaware of how much concern was dripping off of her words.

Wesker sighed for another time that night, and slowly nodded as he sat back down across from her. That was all he offered on the matter, simply settling back in his seat instead, and silence washed over them.

It wasn’t awkward per se, things rarely ever were with them, but the whole mood in the house had shifted once more.

Wesker closed his eyes and tilted his head back, resting it on the top of his chair. Diana couldn’t quite discern whether that was from frustration, exhaustion, or if he was possibly in pain, considering how she noticed him wince at the ringing earlier. Perhaps it was a mix of all three. She couldn’t help but wonder why he had invited her over in the first place, because even if Sherry’s being there hadn’t been planned, his exhaustion seemed to her as the result of a few nights of disturbed sleep, not just one day’s events.

He cleared his throat then looked around the kitchen, his eyes scanning over every surface in sight, as though searching for something. Diana let her own follow the path his took, but nothing seemed out of place to her. The crease between his brows had deepened though, and it almost looked as though he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

When it was clear to him that whatever he was looking for was nowhere to be found, Wesker turned his gaze on Diana instead. “Will you stay tonight?”

Diana’s body almost betrayed her in letting a grin slip out onto her lips and make itself known to him; such a question shouldn’t have pulled that sort of response. Instead, she contained that treacherous smile and only sighed with a slight raise of her brows.

“I hadn’t planned to,” she said with a shrug.

She propped her elbow up on the table’s surface and rested her chin on her palm, leaning forward slightly – closer towards him. They only held eye contact with one another, and Diana couldn’t shake the thought that maybe he was actually in pain, judging by the tension tugging at every one of his muscles. 

With that, she gave him a glimpse of her thinly veiled smile then added, “And you’re tired.”

Wesker let out a small laugh as merely an exhale while he nodded in an unhurried manner. That was for the best, he supposed. He wasn’t even sure why he’d asked, really. So, he looked off to the side again and let his eyes scan over the lounge room this time, cursing himself in the process as he tried to retrace the steps he’d taken since that afternoon.

“Do you want me to stay?”

His head snapped to look back at Diana and his eyes were instantly drawn to her own, locking on again for what felt like the hundredth time that night. How gently she had spoken caught Wesker off guard, but the question itself… He chewed on the inside of his cheek then sucked in a sharp breath.

“Yes.”

[arklay]

seeing stars.

pairing: diana x albert wesker words: 7.0k warnings: migraine, nausea and vertigo, brief mentions of food and alcohol, internalised ableism [read on ao3] — [part one]

A long exhale sounded from the en suite bathroom. It wasn’t one of relief. No, it was strained, wavering as it left parted lips – the evidence of a day riddled with nothing but stress.

Wesker slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the mirror from how he had hung his head, his hands resting on either side of the basin. The figure behind his reflection caught his eye instantly – dark hair a stark contrast to the white doorframe its lovely owner was leaning against. She was simply watching him with this faint, barely-there frown strewn about her features.

Despite being rather annoyed at Diana for sneaking up on him, or more so at himself for not noticing she had done so, he was glad she had kicked off her heels under the dining table. The last thing he needed right now was the shrill clicking of those awful things on the tile floor.

His head already felt like it had been put in a vise and someone was turning the handle; he didn’t need more noise to aggravate it.

“Where are your glasses?” Diana asked, and Wesker could only wonder if he’d imagined the worry clinging to the edge of her voice.

Could she tell he was in pain? That his sunglasses weren’t just some fashion statement people liked to tease him for? Had she put two and two together so easily when most were too dense to?

Wesker’s eyes darted up to lock on to hers in the mirror, though for only a split second, before he looked down again with a small huff. “I don’t know.”

He’d truly had a shocking day. It had been one thing after another, and at some point he had taken his glasses off to rub his eyes then forgot to put them back on. It wasn’t like him to misplace his belongings, and certainly not his shades, of all things, but the stressors piling up ensured the whereabouts of where he’d set them down slipped his mind faster than he thought possible.

It had all started with that pig, Brian Irons. The initial cause of his foul mood. That poor excuse of a man had proven himself to be a thorn in Wesker’s side time and time again; the police chief thought he could undermine those ensuring his unsavoury past was kept under wraps, but Wesker wasn’t going to stand for such insolent behaviour. He made sure to discuss the issue with William during his visit to the NEST around lunchtime, calling for a shorter leash.

However, the day only seemed to continue to go downhill once he’d returned to the station.

The problem wasn’t simply the piles of reports taking up space on his desk; the image of Diana wouldn’t leave his mind. He shouldn’t have stopped by her lab with coffee and spoken to her at all. He needed his focus to be solely on his work. The way she could capture his attention was quite bothersome, really. And that prompted a rather foolish decision on his part – a phone call with plans for dinner.

It didn’t end there. The newest S.T.A.R.S. recruits were a headache in and of themselves, yet getting a call from Sherry’s school the moment he left work had been the icing on the cake. She hadn’t been picked up hours beforehand, and being the next emergency contact, Wesker was informed of such incompetence.

William’s obsession with the G-Virus was getting out of hand. He’d always been more preoccupied with his work than the people around him, but forgetting to pick Sherry up from school was something else. Something Wesker didn’t quite like.

Not to mention it completely ruined his plans for the night.

With a suppressed clearing of her throat, Diana pulled him back to the present. She pushed herself off of the doorframe and made her way closer towards him. “Would you like me to look for them?”

Wesker shook his head and immediately regretted it; the sudden movement made him wince as a short wave of splitting pain made itself known right behind his left eye, causing him to grip the edge of the counter until his knuckles went white. The pain wasn’t unbearable yet, and he was glad his typical nausea seemed to be at bay, but he had no clue how long that would last. Not long, if he had to guess, given his luck with the rest of the day’s events.

Taking a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth, he steadied himself. With each count, he found it easier to tolerate the ache, though it didn’t subside in the slightest. It would have to do though; he needed to get through his nighttime routine.

He reached over and slowly pulled his toothbrush out of its holder, making sure to not move more than what was necessary.

“No.”

Wesker glanced up at the mirror again with one of his brows quirked in genuine confusion, and he watched as Diana’s reflection inched closer. Then her hands were covering his. Why he found himself frozen at her touch was beyond him, but her soft fingers pressing against his skin was a welcome sensation.

She only pried the toothbrush and paste out of his grasp, far more gently than she needed to, then she placed them back to where they belonged.

“You are obviously unwell. You don’t need to brush your teeth when you feel like this,” she said, voice soft and oddly soothing, as opposed to the hammering against his skull.

Diana took Wesker’s hands in her own again, and her thumbs brushed along the raised veins on the backs of them in slow circles. It wasn’t just comforting to him, it was familiar, intimate, and the point at which he’d begun to embrace her touch rather than shun his craving for it was lost on him.

Her eyes finally landed on his own and she directed a small nod towards the door, making him aware of what she was about to do next. Then she took a step back. Then another. And she carefully pulled him along with her, guiding him towards his bedroom without so much as a word from him. Wesker couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. He didn’t know what to say, what to do, and with how tired he was, he could only let her take the lead. She seemed to have her mind set on making sure he would rest, and that made his chest feel much too tight.

It was almost as if she cared.

The trip to the foot of his bed felt much longer than usual. Diana’s cautious approach made sure of that. He was not intoxicated; she didn’t need to hold his hands and ensure he put one foot in front of the other. And yet she did. He felt like an absolute fool, but he still let her pull him along, regardless.

Once there, Diana sat him down on the edge before she quickly knelt down in front of him, tucking her legs beneath herself as she did so. Her attention went straight towards his boots and deft hands worked to untie their laces.

Wesker couldn’t quite wrap his head around her behaviour. He wasn't sure what to think. On any other day, he would’ve thought her kneeling between his legs quite amusing, especially with how she kept roughly pushing her stubborn tresses that kept falling in front of her face back behind her ears. But his head hurt far too much, and there was just this horrible warmth searing through his chest and up his neck, settling across his cheeks and threatening to join the burning at his temple.

The question in her eyes whenever she’d glance up at him certainly wasn’t helping either. It was almost wary, as though looking for permission to continue. Or perhaps assurance.

Her fingers wrapped around his ankle, carefully grasping it as she pulled off his boot. That made him feel far too odd, but she only repeated the action with its counterpart. He was thankful for the way she placed them next to one another by his bed though, all nice and neat, instead of simply tossing them to the side like anyone else would.

Diana pushed herself up off of the floor using her palms and moved to stand between his legs. Soft hands reached forward to cradle his face, the cool pads of her thumbs brushing along the high points of his cheeks. But she was only looking into his eyes, searching for… something.

He wasn’t quite sure what she was doing, to be completely honest. However, the repetitive movement along his cheekbones was calming, almost strangely so, and he hated that his eyes threatened to flutter shut and his hands itched to reach out and hold onto her sides – perhaps even pull her closer, if he dared.

How could she draw such a reaction from him? Especially given the circumstances.

The last thing Wesker needed was for her to look at him like he was some injured animal; he didn’t want her pity. It was enough that he let her drag him out of the bathroom when he was in the middle of carrying out his routines, as though he was caught in some sort of trance. But to look at him in such a way, to help him undress… It was ridiculous. He didn’t need to be fussed over.

Wesker reached up and closed his hands around her wrists. His grip was tight, though not enough to hurt her – merely cautionary, much like the glare he sent her way. Astute as she was, he had no doubt she would get the message.

Diana’s fingers fell away from his cheeks, curling in on themselves, but she didn’t move to break the distance between them. She only continued to hold his gaze, eyes still scanning his own in search of some answers, even as he loosened his hold on her wrists.

It had been wishful thinking, anyhow; he should’ve known she’d remain defiant.

Wesker pulled her hands further away from his face while he slowly rose to his feet. Then he let go, making them drop to her sides in a rather lifeless fashion. He didn’t miss the question in her eyes, or the way a crease formed between her brows, but he simply focused on manoeuvring around her towards his dresser – unsuccessfully at that, as his side brushed against hers with how he staggered.

Movement made the pain behind his eye considerably worse. The familiar sensation of tiny knives stabbing, leaving puncture wounds in their wake to obscure his vision, made it incredibly hard to keep his eyes open any longer. Wesker took a deep breath to try and steady himself, keeping as still as could be so as to not cause himself more pain. If only for a moment of relief.

One of his hands settled on the surface of the dresser while the other moved to open a drawer. He hoped Diana didn’t see how he fumbled with the pull handle. He wasn’t even sure why that bothered him. But he moved to correct his error far too quickly, causing him to lose balance slightly.

The sight of plain black, white and grey t-shirts folded up and sorted by tone brought some level of structure back to the chaos that had been Wesker’s day, and it pleased him more than it probably should have. The shirts were simply for when he was too cold to sleep shirtless – he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them casually, otherwise – and he removed one from its designated place for himself, and one for Diana.

The next drawer he opened contained his pyjama pants, all monochromatic and devoid of patterns, akin to his shirts. Just the way he liked. There were a couple of blue pairs though. Not like that mattered; he chose black, as usual.

A tired sigh left him then.

“Diana.” The sound of her footsteps crossing the distance between them seemed to reach him later than when they’d occurred, because she was already standing at his side. Wesker simply handed her the t-shirt he’d chosen for her, then he spoke again without looking her way, “Would you like pants?”

Diana chuckled at that, and the corner of his lips twitched. He treasured that sound. Well and truly treasured it.

“I doubt anything will fit me,” she whispered, the smile in her voice telling him she was trying to subdue her laugh.

“You have long legs.”

She let out a low, sweet hum at his dry response and positioned herself behind him, lifting her chin to rest it on his shoulder as she watched his hands comb through the pairs of pants in the drawer below. It was clear to Diana that he wouldn’t find anything that would fit her, considering she was barely two thirds the width of him, but she let him figure that out for himself. Instead, her hands ran down his sides and towards his hips. She stood on tiptoe to press a lingering kiss to his cheek while one of her hands travelled between them.

“Doesn’t change that you have more hips than I do,” Diana said between another kiss, tone playful, while her hand squeezed a handful of his firm backside.

Wesker reached behind himself and swatted her hand away, but he couldn’t stop the slight chuckle that bubbled up in his throat before it escaped him – one that mirrored her own. Her arms changing position, wrapping around his waist with her chin settling against his shoulder once more, was not what he expected in response, however. The feeling that brought up inside of him was not something he wished to confront tonight.

He needed to place more distance between them.

“Drawstrings.” Wesker held up a pair of pants that could be tightened at the waist, negating her claims that there couldn’t possibly be anything of his that may stay up for her.

Diana held back another sigh as she loosened her arms and plucked the pants from his grasp. Their short moment of joking around certainly didn’t last long, but she wasn’t sure why she even expected it to. It wasn’t the time or place, but she simply didn’t know how to deal with the situation at hand; it was always difficult for her to navigate when someone wasn’t feeling well.

On the other hand, Wesker was none the wiser to Diana’s inner turmoil. He only withdrew from her slack embrace and returned to where he’d been sitting at the end of the bed earlier, entirely focused on ridding himself of the rest of his work clothes. Without her interference.

Nothing seemed to be in his favour today though, because the moment his hips met the bed the entire room began to spin. It wasn’t like he had sat down too fast – or maybe he had finally lost his bearings – but the way the room was warping around him with stars dancing across his vision caused him to squeeze his eyes shut. His teeth ground together of their own accord and he cursed himself for it as that only amplified the pain at his temple.

All Wesker could do was turn his attention towards the buttons of his shirt, trying to ground himself as best he could by focusing on the feeling of one beneath his fingertips. The way the edges pressed against his skin as he pushed the button through its assigned opening felt so much sharper than usual. And it didn’t help that he fumbled on the first go.

“Let me help you.”

The almost desperate plea from the voice across the room couldn’t have come from Diana. Surely. Not even the distinct accent and low, gravelly quality of it could convince him; she had never done such a thing, never sounded like that, even when he’d reduced her to ruins in bed.

The Diana he knew wasn’t so willing to offer assistance.

Wesker scoffed, perhaps a bit too harsh judging by the frown he received, and only roughly unfastened the next button on his shirt. “I do not need your help.”

Oh, how he wished that were true.

The bile burning the back of his throat begged to differ. And it was getting increasingly difficult to just keep his eyes open, like his lids were being weighed down by some invisible force.

The soft sound of a zipper made Wesker glance over to where Diana stood, only to watch as her skirt pooled around her feet. His hands paused what they were doing as his eyes lazily wandered over her, mesmerised by the way she was carefully rolling her tights down her long legs. It wasn’t until she moved on to her shirt and made quick work of the overpriced garment that he shook himself free of her spell. To say she was stunning was frustratingly accurate.

She stripped down to nothing but her panties before pulling his massive t-shirt over her tiny frame, adjusting her hair the minute it was over her head. That shouldn’t have made him smile to himself. The thought that she was cute shouldn’t have even crossed his mind in the first place.

It wasn’t that long ago when he’d considered her vain for constantly worrying about her appearance, and the first time she had worn one of his shirts he had thought she looked absolutely ridiculous – comical, even. It was only endearing now. He chose not to look too close into that change, convincing himself that the pain he was in was simply making him delirious.

Fuck, he just wanted to go to sleep. There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to close this day and reset in the morning.

Despite struggling with each one, Wesker managed to finish undoing the buttons of his shirt and he weakly shrugged it off of his shoulders. It went no further than that, however, even with another attempt. The motion only made his stomach lurch, like waves roiling at sea.

A defeated sigh left him at that, but he was too tired to fight it. He must have made for a pathetic sight, one he wished there was no one present to witness.

That would’ve been grand, if he was so fortunate. Diana was standing in front of him again after dropping the pants in her grasp and crossing the distance in only a few quick strides. Before he could protest once more, she reached forward and laid her hands flat against his shoulders; cold fingers dipped beneath material, causing a shiver to run through his entire body, before she gently pushed the sleeves down his arms. It was unnecessary, but Diana held his forearm as she pulled the sleeve off by grasping the cuff, making sure to not turn his shirt inside-out.

He’d kiss her for that if his head didn’t feel like it was going to explode at any minute.

As soon as she freed him of his undershirt with the same meticulous care, Diana returned to what she had started earlier, before Wesker had stopped her. This time around he wasn’t nearly as tense when she took his face in her hands. In fact, it was the most at ease he had felt all day.

The chill of her palms provided some relief to the burning beneath his skin and the stabbing behind his eye. Even if it was only for a moment – until his cheeks warmed her hands and ripped that pleasant sensation away from him.

The only difference from when they’d found themselves in this position earlier was that Diana now leaned down to place a brief kiss on his lips. Wesker expected some level of warmth in her gaze once she pulled away, but he was only met with the look someone would have when scolding a child who had just hurt themselves on the playground.

If she was insinuating that he was being childish, they’d have a whole other problem on their hands.

Diana readjusted her hold to cradle his face in a more secure manner, fingers pressing firm against his skin. “I know you don’t want my help, but I will not see you make yourself sick because you are too stubborn to let someone look after you.”

Wesker glared up at her. Well, he hoped it was a glare, because whatever left him was all that he could muster in his state. From the way one of Diana’s brows raised, he sure did something, even if he had no idea if it was what he had intended.

They simply looked into one another’s eyes, holding the steady gaze for far too long – a familiar occurrence that usually took place when she challenged him. He supposed it was the other way around this time. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her help, it was that he didn’t want anyone’s. He thought himself above that, and he had managed being in this position countless times before. Even if on some of those days he had gone to sleep without being able to change his clothes.

Perhaps he needed some help.

“Fine.�� Wesker relented with a long blink, and allowed himself to settle against her touch and relax some more.

That earned him a faint smile from Diana before she leaned in again. His eyes fluttered shut out of habit, but her lips didn’t connect with his own. Instead, they landed on his forehead, and his moment of ease faded away instantly, his hands balling into fists at his sides the longer she lingered there.

The pit in his stomach seemed to lessen when she withdrew and dropped to her knees again. But his head felt absurdly heavy without her hands holding it up. There was too much running through his mind, it was getting overwhelming. And it wasn’t just the hammering at the side of his skull. He wanted her but he tensed up at her touch, he needed her but he hated her assistance, he… He shouldn’t have invited her over tonight.

What had he been thinking?

Slender fingers curling into the waistband of his pants pulled Wesker from his thoughts, and he looked down at Diana, who had glanced up at the same time with that question in her eyes once more, asking if it was alright to continue. He simply nodded and she focused her attention back to what she was doing; he even lifted his hips to allow her to pull his pants off. Whenever she had dealt with the button and zipper eluded him.

He despised that – the feeling that he was no longer in control, losing his vigilance as the pain distracted him too much. It wasn’t just that though, the woman before him also played a part in causing his dazed state.

It was strange. Wesker couldn’t recall ever having a lover treat him like this. She wasn’t telling him that he was going to be okay, that she was there for him, or any of that superficial nonsense. She was just assisting him, doing whatever needed to be done so that he would be comfortable enough to hopefully get some sleep. It brought about another dreadful sensation to the mix already pestering him.

He lifted a hand and placed it over Diana’s when she reached for the t-shirt he had haphazardly dropped on the bed when the vertigo had hit him. She only looked down at his large hand enveloping hers for a moment, seeming to be the one stunned now. Then her eyes finally darted up to his face, and the steely determination in them from before melted away into that look that unsettled him far more.

“I’m being overbearing, aren’t I?” she asked, a slight trace of a chuckle clinging to the edge of it, as though she was almost embarrassed by her behaviour.

Wesker let out what was probably supposed to be a laugh in response, but little more than an exhale came out. “No.”

He paused as his next words died on his tongue. Or more accurately, they didn’t seem to want to leave his throat and even get that far. Diana was none the wiser and just rose to her feet, hand slipping free of his own and taking the t-shirt with it. Wesker chewed on the inside of his cheek for but a fraction of a second before he swallowed his pride.

A sharp inhale, then he lifted his head to look up at her. “Thank you.”

The genuine smile that crossed Diana’s face made him feel far too warm, like the sun was bearing down on his skin and reaching the deepest parts of him; it wasn’t quite a grin, teeth staying hidden, but the corners of her eyes crinkled and the indents on her cheeks deepened somewhat. She didn’t give him much of a chance to admire it though, too preoccupied with making sure she didn’t move him around too much as she carefully pulled the shirt over his head and helped each of his arms into the sleeves.

“I take it you have photophobia,” she said matter-of-factly. It was almost too clinical-sounding for Wesker’s liking, odd as that may seem. The term alone just left a bad taste in his mouth.

It was sort of his own fault, which he didn’t like owning up to. He’d always had trouble with his sensitivity to bright lights, but he was only meant to wear the tinted glasses Umbrella prescribed him when in the lab or outside. It had been the relief he felt without a migraine clawing at his senses that made him forget he was wearing them at all, and in turn, that developed into a habit of leaving them on for nearly all waking hours. His eyes adjusted to the conditions and it only worsened his sensitivity when he was without his sunglasses.

What he wouldn’t give to have his youthful eyes back.

When Wesker didn’t respond to her, Diana gently cupped his cheek. He tried to meet her gaze, but her eyes were focused just below, where her thumb was brushing across the dark circle marring his skin. Another thing he wished he could reverse time to prevent.

As useful as her help was, Wesker couldn’t understand why she was doing this, why she was being so… kind. So tender. She wasn’t a nurturer, or the type to worry about others. Maybe she did actually care for him, more than she let on. That didn’t feel right though – it just left him profoundly uncomfortable. His mind had to be playing tricks on him with how exhausted he was. That was the only reasonable explanation.

Diana’s thumb paused its repetitive motion and she simply held her hand in place. It was just for another second or two, but her touch lingered well after she departed, leaving a pleasant tingle across his skin.

The last obstacle in the way of Wesker being able to just collapse into bed and hope that his migraine was gone by the morning was the pair of pyjama pants Diana was bunching up so she could help him change into them easily. His tired limbs seemed to move on their own, slipping into each pant leg with little input from him, but the moment he lifted his hips as she tugged the fabric over them, another surge of intense pain hit him, causing him to keel over.

It felt as though his head was being split in two, torn apart from the inside out. He could have sworn the eye taking the brunt of the pressure was going to pop out of its socket at any minute. The only thing he could do was rest his head in his hands and endure it, pressing his thumbs down on the innermost part of his brows in hopes to alleviate some of the pain.

Diana shuffled closer and reached forward to place her hands on his thighs. They only ran up and down the sides of them in a gentle, reassuring motion while her mind scrambled to recall the locations of where she’d seen every thing that could possibly aid him in his house.

Her brain was being just as helpful as his was, because she drew a blank, too taken aback by the sight in front of her. The intimidating Albert Wesker slumped over in pain – that was something she thought she’d never see. He always seemed so… invincible. Nothing could tear down his powerful image and break through his composed demeanour this easily, and she couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

“Albert?” Diana’s voice was so soft he almost didn’t hear it, but his name always sounded so much nicer spilling from her lips compared to anyone else’s. “Do you need a bucket? Or…” She paused for a second then let out a frustrated huff. “Where do you keep your painkillers?”

“They don’t work,” Wesker grumbled.

Of course they don’t, she thought. That would’ve been too easy.

Or he was being overdramatic. So, she pressed on. “Not even a little bit?”

The crease between his brows only deepened, and he squeezed his eyes shut. So, that was a definitive no.

Diana pursed her lips as she tried to think of what else she could do for him. She wasn’t familiar with actually dealing with a migraine, even if she knew all of the treatments on paper; she was fortunate enough to never get them, and she couldn’t remember the last time someone around her had. She could list off every over-the-counter painkiller and triptan that was used to specifically target a migraine, but that would do her no good. She didn’t know what worked for him.

There had to be something though. Diana moved to stand and go take a look at what was in the medicine cabinet in his bathroom, but Wesker fumbled to take her hand in his own.

That made her freeze on the spot.

She had no doubt he was cursing himself for doing such a thing, for how it almost seemed to be a reflex more than a conscious decision. Or perhaps he just needed something solid to hold on to. Whichever it was, Diana didn’t care, so long as it helped. Even if the way he was gripping her hand hurt like hell; she’d been through far worse, so the possibility of a broken bone was something she would simply bear.

“Here,” she whispered while carefully pulling Wesker up to stand a moment after she did so herself. He stumbled on his feet when upright, but Diana was there – the pillar to hold him up and save him from toppling over.

The arm not reaching for his – right hand clasping his own – was wrapped around his back. It served to keep him stable as she slowly guided him over to what she had long since been acquainted with as his preferred side of the bed. This whole ordeal would’ve been much easier if he wasn’t leaning his entire body weight against her, but at least the trip wasn’t too lengthy.

Their hands only parted when Diana let go to lean forward and pull back the covers for him. Wesker really hoped she didn’t see how his fingers extended on instinct, as if to chase her touch. It was utterly pathetic. The urge to hold her was getting increasingly annoying, and he wished his body would just try to not embarrass him for once.

He couldn’t exactly exert much control over his innate reactions in his condition, but if Diana noticed, she didn’t say anything. That was one positive, he supposed.

And the fact that he managed to sit on the bed on his own without dragging her down with him. That probably would’ve earned him a bony shoulder digging into his chest, and that would just make matters worse.

Diana didn’t have to, but she went so far as to help him lie down as well. In a way that wouldn’t make his head feel as though someone had taken a hammer to it, that is. All slow movements and firm but gentle touches, manipulating his limbs for him as they felt too heavy for him to move on his own. And when she was done, one of her hands reached up to smooth back his hair.

That brought about that dreadful flutter in the pit of Wesker’s stomach. Or maybe that was the nausea. He couldn’t tell at this point.

Weary eyes tried their hardest to stay trained on the figure lingering in front of them. But they were unsuccessful. Wesker couldn’t keep them open any longer, not when everything was spinning around like this. He couldn’t even make out what the expression strewn about Diana’s features was.

It didn’t even matter, because her comforting touch left him before the sound of her feet padding across the floor reached his ears – quickly, like she was in some rush. Unnecessary, Wesker thought. He wasn’t exactly going anywhere, lying there in agony.

He didn’t think it would get this bad. It had been so long since he’d had a migraine like this. The nausea, visual disturbances, and all of that nonsense was typical for him, but the vertigo would come and go. Every time it showed itself he was caught off guard; there was no getting used to the feeling of his body swaying back and forth when he was lying perfectly still.

That wasn’t even the worst of his problems.

His mind decided it wanted to be louder than the rhythmic pulse behind his eye, yelling at him to the point where his thoughts felt like they were what was causing his pain by bouncing around and colliding with his skull.

Weak. Pitiful. Unacceptable. Over and over again.

How could he let someone see him like this?

Not just someone, but her, of all people. The woman who would roll her eyes when one of the researchers called off work, the one who boasted about never getting sick, the one who carried herself like nothing could strike her down. Just like he did. And yet here he was, reduced to rubble by a bit of pain.

That’s what was confusing Wesker. Why was Diana being so considerate of his plight? He had no doubt she’d rather be at the lab, or really anywhere else, doing something worthwhile instead of this. She should just leave, honestly. There was no reason for her to stick around; it wasn’t like she felt anything more for him beyond fellowship. Sherry was wrong in her assumption; Diana wasn’t his partner.

She may have been his, but he certainly wasn’t hers. No, she just enjoyed toying with him.

Now was not the time to fall into thinking about that rubbish again. He should’ve never asked her if she wished to stay the night. Or invited her over for dinner in the first place, for that matter.

“Alright.”

That pulled Wesker out of his head. It may have only been low, simply a hurried mumble under one’s breath, but that entrancing voice was unmistakable to him. His little pity party hadn’t lasted long – privacy breached once more as Diana returned from whatever she had been doing. He really did despise that she was witnessing him in this state; this wasn’t how he wished for her to find out he suffered from migraines.

With her hands full, Diana crossed his room with the stride of someone on a mission – full of purpose. First, she placed a glass of water down on his nightstand, then she used her now free hand to pull the bucket she’d found in the laundry out from under her other arm, where it was sitting awkwardly and digging into her side. 

Once she set it down beside the bed, she crouched in front of Wesker and placed the ice pack she’d wrapped in a tea towel in one of his hands, which he lifted to his forehead immediately. Diana had no idea if that would help him or not, actually. She preferred heat for pain relief; being sensitive to the cold always made her recovery with injuries from ballet growing up a horrid experience. Maybe she should have looked to see if he had a heat pack instead. That would help alleviate the tension in his neck and shoulders.

No. She had what she needed, she wasn’t going to run around and make an even bigger fuss. It would probably make him feel worse, anyhow.

The only thing left to do was close the curtains and block out any light that threatened to seep into his room, whether that be from the street lamps illuminating the suburb or the bright moon itself. The significance of his blackout curtains now made much more sense to her.

When she stood to round the bed, Diana had no idea why she took the hand by his hip in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her thumb even brushed across the back of it for a second. There was just this odd need to show him that she was there, that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Even as she pulled the curtains shut, the thought didn’t leave her mind.

She wasn’t going anywhere.

Taking care to not make the mattress dip too much, Diana climbed into bed next to Wesker. The last thing she wished was for her getting comfortable to cause him any undue pain because it jostled him about. It was only then, when the covers brushed across her bare legs, that she realised she was only wearing his shirt – the pyjama pants he’d chosen for her long forgotten somewhere to the darkness.

Wesker decided to be rather ungrateful for her cautious approach, as he moved on his own. Diana couldn’t help how her eyes wandered over him, taking in every detail she could as he began to slowly roll over; his brows were knit together, deepening the lines between them, his lips were pulled down in a frown, and his eyes were screwed shut. It was rather obvious to her that he was trying to not bring up all of his dinner, and that sent her heart plummeting down into her stomach. What he was going through really sunk in then.

She wished she could just take the pain away, make it all disappear and guarantee it would never return.

It was an awful feeling, watching the man who had only ever given her these tiny glimpses of vulnerability do what looked to be such a practised motion, as though he had a tried-and-true method for dealing with his nausea for so long.

She felt helpless. But why did she even care? Countless lovers had come and gone, not ever leaving an imprint on her heart, but he seemed to tug at every string.

A loud thump, immediately followed by a rather feeble sound, pulled Diana from her thoughts. It wasn’t quite a groan, but not nearly a whimper either, and she never thought she’d hear such a sound come from Wesker.

While turning, the ice pack had fallen free of his weak grasp and landed on the floor, causing the disturbance. Diana opened her mouth to speak, to ask him if he wanted her to pick it up for him, but she didn’t get a chance; he curled up against her side all of a sudden, resting his head on her chest. That was something she wasn’t prepared for. He had never done that before, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he heard the way her heart sped up at the act.

Diana kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling, not daring to look down at him while her arm hesitated to wrap around his back. What was she even supposed to do? This was all new territory for her, for them, and… it was overwhelming. She didn’t know what to think; there was just this massive weight that had been dropped onto her chest. And it wasn’t Wesker, or the way he slung his arm over her waist.

It was that somehow, despite everything, he had managed to worm his way past all of her defences and make her actually care for him.

But friends do care for one another, yes? That is a fact. And it’s not like their dates meant anything; she had gone on many with casual partners in the past, and they were merely a formality. The longing she felt for him was nothing beyond physical.

The arm around her tightened its hold on her side, pulling her closer, and Diana looked down just in time to see a grimace twist Wesker’s features before he turned his head to rest his brow against her breastbone. Whatever he grumbled as he did so, Diana couldn’t quite make out what it was.

She chewed on her lip while bringing a hand up to the back of his head, gently cradling it and holding him close. She found herself hesitating again, unsure of the implications of her touch – how it could be perceived. But the urge grew too strong soon enough. Whatever was going on between them was just that, and she wasn’t going to complicate matters by overanalysing it.

Her fingers ran through his hair, pressing firm against his scalp in somewhat of a massage. Diana absolutely hated the feeling of pomade residue on her fingers, but seeing the way his shoulders relaxed eased her disgust, if only slightly. She’d just have to deal with the waxy feeling on her skin, she supposed. It was a selfish thought but she wished he’d at least managed to rinse out his hair. She knew he hated it as well, though; his routines were always so important to him.

Wesker let out a long exhale and Diana paused the motion, unsure if what she was doing was actually making matters worse. He didn’t say anything, but the way he held her closer while his legs tangled with her own made her stomach flip, as though she was the one who was going to be sick.

The arm around his back held him firm as she leaned in to press a kiss to the top of his head. She never wanted him to go through this again, and she would find a way to ensure that.

For now though, she made a note to have a look for his glasses first thing tomorrow, before he woke.

[arklay]

tagged by @leviiackrman & @prometheas to make some oc pairings in these holiday meikers [m/m || m/f || f/f] – thank you both so so much! ♡

🕶️ albert wesker x 🐍 diana afanasyeva 🕊️ claire redfield x 🚁 dani haines

tagging: @aartyom @aelyosos @brujah @celticwoman @denerims @faarkas @florbelles @girlbosselrond @indorilnerevarine @morvaris @narshadda @nocticulas @nuclearstorms @reaperkiller @risingsh0t @rivensbane @snowthroat @steelport @stormveils @swordcoasts @voerman & anyone else who’d like to do this! i know i’m missing a lot of people but i’m always nervous when tagging and i don’t want to overwhelm anyone, so if you see this and would like to do it then, as always, say i tagged you cause i’d love to see them! ♡

[arklay]

tagged by @leviiackrman @denerims @shadowglens @risingsh0t & @indorilnerevarine to make some of my oc pairings in this picrew – thank you guys so much ily! ♡

🐍 diana afanasyeva x 🕶️ albert wesker (re)  💋 ada wong x ⛓️ damien maynard (re) 🌻 mehlia tabris x ⚔️ zevran arainai (da) 🚁 dani haines x 🕊️ claire redfield (re)

tagging: @aartyom @aelyosos @brujah @calenhads @faarkas @girlbosselrond @jillvalcntines @lightwardens @morvaris @narshadda @nocticulas @noonfaerie @nuclearstorms @reaperkiller @snowthroat @solasan @steelport @stormveils @swordcoasts @voerman @wrymbloods & anyone else who’d like to do this! i feel like everyone’s been tagged, but if you haven’t then i’m tagging you! ♡

[arklay]

a dangerous thing.

pairing: diana x albert wesker words: 22.8k warnings: nsfw, body image, sexual dysfunction

“Take them off,” she whispered, motioning towards his sunglasses. “I want to see you.”

Wesker sighed, and despite the little voice in his head telling him not to entertain her like last time, he reached up and took his glasses off, nonetheless. Folding the temples slowly over one another, he made sure not to touch the lenses and leave any smudges – no doubt amusing her with how careful he was being with them – before he placed them down on the table. When he looked back up at her, he watched how her eyes were trained on his hands until they flitted up to meet his own, and the small smile that deepened the indents on her cheeks stirred that irritating sensation behind his sternum.

“Your fascination with my eyes is unnerving,” he said without thinking too much on the implications of such a statement, and immediately regretted it afterwards.

Diana chuckled, standing up straight as she stepped even closer into his space, the jasmine in her perfume seeming more potent than usual as it overwhelmed his senses; that familiar, almost comforting scent reminded him of the first time they had ever stood this close.

She searched his eyes for further clarification as her smile turned more teasing than sweet, and she lifted a hand to absent-mindedly walk her fingers up his chest. “Did you just admit that I unnerve you?”

[read on ao3]

[arklay]

48 + diana and albert 👀

48. offering the other your coat + diana x wesker.

words: 4.3k warnings: brief mentions of alcohol and general crime [read on ao3]

The moment she pulled the door to the hotel open, the chilling breeze bit at her exposed skin, hitting her face with more force than she had anticipated and making her stumble slightly, a quiet laugh leaving her lips as she steadied herself. Ridiculous. Diana brushed her hair out of her face before she stepped out into the street, instinctively bringing her hands up in front of her face, rubbing them together and letting her breath provide at least a little warmth to combat the cold.

She thought it would have started to warm up by now, but the night air this time of spring was still as icy as ever, and she cursed herself for leaving her jacket in the car. It had been pleasantly warm at the start of the night, and she hadn’t expected to stay late enough to see such a drop in temperature. At least it’s not raining, she thought. She didn’t need a repeat of the time she’d been up on the hiking trails in the mountains when she got caught in an unexpected shower.

Looking around the street for a moment, Diana sighed then grasped the chain of her clutch at her shoulder, pulling it closer and unintentionally pressing her arm to her chest firmer than she had meant to, as she began heading in the direction of where she’d parked her car. All she wanted was to get back to her warm apartment and fall into bed, away from this breeze and the endless prattle she could still hear, even as muffled as it now was outside of the venue, the faint music drowning out a good sum of it.

“Leaving so soon?”

Of course he would follow her the moment he realised she had fled from that modest ballroom.

Diana turned on her heel to face the source of that familiar voice, which seemed to haunt her as of late. Wesker was standing in front of the doors to the hotel, underneath the black canopy with his hands clasped behind his back and a slight tilt of his head. Those ever-present sunglasses sat atop his nose, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all – wearing sunglasses this long after the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.

But she couldn’t help how her gaze wandered over him, for what felt like the billionth time that night, and she hated him for how appealing he looked in a suit. His jacket was missing and that only pulled her attention towards his forearms with how his shirt’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, like he so often wore them. She cleared her throat as she willed away the rather depraved thought that wormed its way into her mind. Wonder what he looks like out of it.

Instead, she sent a tired smile his way. In all honesty, the last thing she wanted was for someone to warm her bed tonight. “I have to be at the lab early tomorrow, and it’s already quite late.”

Diana didn’t have to tell him that her social battery had been completely drained by only a few hours surrounded by that many people, he would easily be able to see that written all over her for himself. She could sense it in him too, that he wanted to get away from everyone, but he had long since adjusted to a life around others – she didn’t know how he did it. She preferred to be in her lab by herself, or at home by herself, not dealing with the incessant ramblings of such imbeciles.

Wesker hummed as he brought his hands forward to adjust his watch, glancing down at the time. “Not enjoying yourself, my dear?”

That teasing tone she’d grown accustomed to was paired with an arrogant smirk that made her want to pull him in and kiss it right off his lips, but she only laughed then – the lovely sound he would’ve never expected to come from her filling the air, nowhere near as harsh as he had initially thought it would be.

“Tired, more like.” Diana didn’t know when they had both walked closer to one another, meeting halfway between the hotel’s entrance and where she had made it to before he had caught up with her, and they merely lingered in one another’s presence. “I appreciate the invitation though, I will never turn down an opportunity to dress up.”

A low chuckle left his lips, and it was his turn to let his eyes roam over her. The slinky, black dress that ended just above her ankle hugged her small curves and sharp edges perfectly, the neckline showing off her prominent collarbones, and the small slit up the side giving him a good view of those elegant, long legs, free of the tights that typically adorned them. Beautiful.

“Yes, you certainly ‘dress up’ well,” he said, a bit too plainly for her tastes. But what did she expect? Diana liked that Wesker didn’t drool over her, but would it really kill him to give her a more personal compliment for once?

It wasn’t like he was being subtle with his staring, so why not indulge her with what he was really thinking? She had felt his eyes on her all night, sending a pleasant heat rising to her skin everywhere she went, and their eyes had met far too many times for it to be by chance. Even with his own concealed by his shades, she could tell he was looking back at her whenever she scanned the room and her eyes landed on him, and the time she’d held his gaze long enough to be rewarded with a smirk confirmed that.

Much like he was doing right now, but this time she had to look away and avoid his intense stare, instead focusing on her feet as she shifted her weight from one to the other. Was it the cool wind making her feel restless or the fact that she itched to reach out and touch him?

“I’ll walk with you.”

His no-nonsense tone practically told her not to argue with him, that it wasn’t a suggestion up for debate, and that drew a small chuckle from her.

Looking back up to see the barest hint of his eyes behind the tinted lenses, Diana shook her head slightly, her lips pulling up in a teasing smile. “They put all of this together for your little team, and here you are, doing a runner?”

The smirk on his lips only grew at that. “On the contrary, I was simply intrigued by where you were running off to.”

Diana gave an exaggerated hum in mock consideration, before she gestured her arms out at her sides, palms up towards the sky as she turned to fully face him. “Well, you found me. Now go and enjoy the night.”

One of his brows raised above the frames of his glasses, curious at what must have sounded like she was telling him to leave her be. Regardless, he leaned in the slightest bit closer towards her, enough so that she could smell his ridiculously expensive cologne, and that shouldn’t have made her breath catch in her throat.

Wesker lowered his voice as his eyes searched for her own, locking on and making sure he had her attention. “Trying to get rid of me, are you?”

She only rolled her eyes at that, a gesture he had come to find more endearing than irritating as of late. “Yes, because everything’s about you.”

That sarcastic mouth of hers was going to get her in trouble one of these days, but at the moment, he was too tired to care about such insolence. If he didn’t have to stay and entertain his “former” colleagues’ congratulations on his new position, so to speak, then he would probably be doing the exact same thing she was.

Without thinking, Diana wrapped her arms around herself as she shifted on the spot again, then she quickly dropped them back at her sides, a little too late though as Wesker had already noticed the action. His gaze dipped down to wander over her once more, only to see her skin covered in goosebumps, the hairs on her arms standing up on end, and he looked back up at her face just in time to watch her clench her jaw as she turned her head, acting like her attention had been taken by the couple laughing loudly down the street.

“Stay here.”

Before she could even reply to his firm tone – some comment about not taking orders from him – he was gone, and she barely caught the sight of him walking back into the hotel in time when her head snapped to look in his direction. Prick. She looked over at the restaurant nearby, trying to distract herself by reading the large lettering on the menu board out front, until she decided it all sounded rather unappetising, and she sighed to herself.

It was laughable how quickly her mind wandered back to thoughts of Wesker, and she despised him for that. Because of course it was his fault that she was waking up on the odd morning after he had somehow found his way into her dreams, often in rather compromising circumstances. But it was, wasn’t it? Considering what he had the nerve to do tonight. She could still recall the feeling of his hand on her waist when he’d brushed past her earlier, his hot breath on her ear as he thanked her for coming before he vanished, a moment ended in an instant.

Or when she had been minding her own business, sitting off to the side and enjoying the company of only herself and a glass of champagne, when he just had to come over and sit next to her, placing his hand on her thigh where the slit of her dress had exposed her bare skin. Really, she should hate herself for letting him leave it there, not slapping it away like she should have, caught up in enjoying the weight of it a little too much – the possessiveness such a gesture held. It made her sick to her stomach that she wanted more, yearned for his touch.

Diana hadn’t even noticed that Wesker had come back outside, too lost in her thoughts, and she almost jumped when he draped his coat over her shoulders. Always sneaking up on her… She glanced back at him with a small smile as thanks – noticing that he’d put his suit jacket back on – and those dreaded thoughts were begging to be verbalised. Lean in closer, only for a little bit. It was absurd how much she wanted him to press his chest to her back, for him to wrap his arms around her waist and set her nerves ablaze, or maybe she wanted him to place a kiss on the side of her neck. Just one.

When he stepped away, she almost reached out for him, wanting to pull him back in so he would hold her close. The cold night air once again washed over her as the warmth his presence had brought disappeared in an instant, and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut, his coat doing little to comfort her, even if the scent of him clinging to it made her feel oddly giddy.

“Where did you park?” he abruptly asked, his tone back to the annoyingly aloof one she wasn’t much a fan of. He didn’t even tease her for not bringing her own coat in the first place, and she almost let that sour her mood.

Perhaps it was because she was so used to this back and forth that they’d established over the last few months that him being so short with her took her by surprise, but it was a formal event after all, so she supposed he must maintain some level of professionalism. Like he should in your lab? It didn’t stop the sneer that worked its way onto her lips though.

When she didn’t answer after a moment, Wesker sent a curious glance her way, prompting her once more. All that did was make Diana point aimlessly down the street, and she nearly missed the additional glance out of the corner of his eye when he began walking in that direction. If that was concern, he could save it.

He only made it a few steps before realising she wasn’t following him, and he turned around. Dipping his head to look at her over the top of his sunglasses, and with his tone back to its usual smug air, he spoke again. “Or would you prefer my company a little longer?”

That made her scoff, and she wished she didn’t feel the need to grin immediately afterwards. “You wish.” But you do, don’t you? “Just trying to figure out when I accepted your offer.”

Wesker still wasn’t quite accustomed to someone speaking to him in such a manner, despite it being over half a year since he’d met her. He knew she was only joking, judging by the tone of her voice and the small hint of a smile pulling up the corners of her lips, but the fact that she had the gall to even think of denying what he was going out of his way to do for her, out of a genuine concern for her safety, made him fix her with a pointed glare. One that would leave anyone else trembling in fear.

Diana’s arms only came up to wrap around herself, hands clutching the lining of his coat close to her sides as she walked right past him. She tried to focus on the sound of her heels clicking against the sidewalk’s pavement, on the feeling of her dress brushing against her calves, even on the way his coat smelled – anything that wasn’t that awfully handsome smirk that pulled on his lips as she, once again, fled the situation.

He didn’t say anything at her little display, although he found it rather amusing, making any comment she had thrown his way all but forgotten. Then he caught up to her in only a few quick strides.

The sound of his footsteps made Diana groan, rather dramatically at that. “You’re relentless.”

“And you have my coat,” he quipped back.

She glanced over at him and her body just had to betray her. It just had to. A grin spread across her face the moment she caught sight of the rather flirtatious looking smile gracing his lips, and she shook her head slightly. What an arsehole.

“It is rather dangerous to walk these streets at night,” Wesker thought out loud, despite knowing full well that she carried a pocket pistol on her at all times, and that there was actually very little crime in this area. 

No, it’s not… Just say it. You want to walk with me. Admit something for once.

Diana probably didn’t notice, but her broad smile had turned rather soft, and he chose to ignore it, alongside the strange look in her eyes. That is, until she spoke next.

“Perhaps I should run instead.”

Wesker actually snorted at that and a loud laugh left her lips, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes flitted down to her feet for a second before they met his own again. Only for a moment. Then she focused her attention back on the street in front of them. She had never heard that noise from him before, and it was probably the only time she ever would, but it was the closest thing she’d heard to a real laugh from him and she was going to hold onto that.

They fell into step beside one another, unintentionally slowing their pace as they enjoyed the closeness between them, whether that was the long stretches of comfortable silence or the times Diana actually started gossiping about some of the guests at the ceremony thrown for his task force’s inauguration, and he chuckled and nodded along at a few of her comments. It was too easy for her to be comfortable around him, and the way their shoulders kept occasionally brushing together didn’t help. She hoped he didn’t notice that – even though he most certainly did – or the way she’d pull back whenever it stirred that odd flutter in her stomach.

The chilling breeze was almost welcome with the way her cheeks were feeling far too warm, needing a distraction of some sorts. Any physical contact with him since she started having those rather lewd dreams made her blush like some… hormonal adolescent, and it was making it increasingly difficult to not lay it all out on the table for him, to actually let herself indulge in such things for the first time in years. It was infuriating. Diana was going to choose to blame the suit for this and not the fact that they spent far too much time with each other.

“He is rather obnoxious when he drinks, isn’t he?” Wesker considered with a small chuckle at her mention of his old friend’s antics. It wasn’t like William had done anything that bad, other than misspeaking and foregoing formalities with the mayor of all people.

“Please, it is entertaining watching him make a fool of himself,” she countered, and she almost couldn’t believe her eyes as that smirk on his lips threatened to pull into a genuine grin. So close.

“Embarrassing,” he corrected her.

“Aw.” Diana leaned in closer and placed her forearm up on his shoulder before her other hand gripped his chin, his coat threatening to fall off her shoulders at the sudden movement. “Are you worried what people must think of you for associating with him?”

The glare he sent her way made her smile, perhaps a little too wickedly, and she only held his gaze, challenging him like she so often did. If he thought he could intimidate her, he was sorely mistaken. You’re not that scary, big boy.

Her grip on his chin lessened and she slowly ran the tip of her forefinger across his jaw, towards the sharp angle, all while she never tore her eyes from his. It probably made for an odd sight for any passersby – the two of them standing in the middle of the sidewalk, easily blocking the path if someone needed to walk past them – but that didn't faze her. She actually let herself get quite lost in the motion of drawing an imaginary line over his skin.

Wesker’s eyes narrowed as he watched her, ignoring the rather refreshing feeling of her cold hand on his face. The way her features had softened fascinated him, captivated him even, and the rather bothersome urge to kiss her crept into his mind. It wasn’t like there was anyone around who could interrupt them like the last couple of times they’d found themselves in this position, but he held himself back, shoving the thought aside to where it belonged.

“And you are irritating,” he whispered.

The small smile that graced her lips was not what he was expecting. He thought his tone had been stern enough to get her to stop acting in such a way, but he supposed that was wishful thinking. However, she did let go of his jaw and lowered the arm from off his shoulder, hugging his coat around herself once more.

Diana tried not to laugh to herself when they began walking again. The slight shock she’d seen in his eyes when she’d teased him was reward enough for her, even if she had hoped he would push her up against the nearest wall. Can’t have everything.

The rest of the walk to her car went by far too slow, the two of them remaining silent, and she found herself wishing to reach for his hand at one point. What was wrong with her? She had barely had anything to drink during the night, but that was the only logical explanation for such thoughts.

When their agonising journey came to its end, Diana brought her clutch forward and unclasped it to pull her keys out, trying to hide the deep breath she took by keeping her back to Wesker. It was easier to chastise herself for her ridiculous thoughts when she wasn’t looking at him, but really, it’s not like it was anything new. Wanting contact with him, that is. It was just the fact that holding hands seemed too… intimate? And yet, look at the dreams she was having every now and again. You’re a right moron, Diana.

She quickly unlocked her car door and pulled it open, slipping the chain of her clutch off her shoulder before placing the small bag on her seat. She supposed she had to give him his coat back, though it would be nice to take his scent with her when they parted. Another foolish thought.

Wesker only watched her, curious at the way she had gone quiet after her little stunt. He knew she didn’t regret her actions, but he wondered why she seemed more distracted than usual. He could still feel her touch on his chin and along his jaw, the light tingling it had left on his skin nagging him to chase her for more. But he didn’t move to close the distance. Diana seemed far too focused on shrugging his coat off her shoulders and folding it neatly over her arm, taking care to not let so much as the hem brush across the floor, and that amused him more than it probably should have.

He took his coat from her when she handed it to him with a small smile, one he returned, but what he didn’t expect was for her to lean closer to place a quick peck on his lips. He shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that she could catch him off guard anymore, but he wasn’t used to such a casual display of affection, or perhaps it was merely a thanks for the coat. Or for walking with her. Maybe both.

Diana still stood close, observing his reaction, and his eyes met her own, the curiosity in them only serving to encourage her further. She brought a hand up to his cheek, his warm skin a small comfort to her fingers for how cold the rest of her now was, arms and back exposed to the cool night air once more. Then she leaned in again, actually capturing his lips in a small, gentle kiss this time. She had almost forgotten how soft they were.

One of his hands came forward to rest on the side of her waist as the other hand was busy moving his coat away from the space between them, and Diana revelled in the weight of it over her dress, but not as much as when he reciprocated the kiss.

Leaning closer, Wesker took her bottom lip between his own, far more delicately than she had expected, and she all but melted against him, her fingers splaying on his cheek ever so slightly.

He tilted his head a little more as his lips moved slowly against her own, and that flutter in her stomach was back, accompanied by the feeling of her heart trying to break its way out from under her rib cage. She almost couldn’t believe how gentle he was – that he wasn’t trying to dominate the kiss like she thought he would. There was no hunger for more, but no hurry to break away either, only their breaths mingling with each part of their lips.

She pulled back after another moment, lips still in a pout as she lingered in his space, and they just looked into each other’s eyes, separated by that ridiculous barrier that wouldn’t let her see those icy blues as clearly as she wanted to. Her eyes flitted down to his lips again when the thought of whether he’d be opposed to her pressing her own to them once more worked its way into her mind. She decided against it, but neither of them moved to part.

Then he had to ruin the moment.

“My dear, you are quite bold.” His hot breath on her lips distracted her for a second, until she realised what he was saying. “Kissing me where anyone could see us.”

Diana tried not to laugh at that, her lips threatening to pull into another grin. “Is that a crime, captain?”

He scoffed, so loud that it was almost harsh to her ears, as he pulled away from her, and she let out a quiet chuckle. His hand fell from her side, the last brush of his thumb as it did almost making the fabric of her dress tickle her skin, but the loss of it against her had her feeling the same way she had earlier that night, the pit in her stomach returning as she longed for him to touch her again. 

Wesker should have known she would use his new title against him at some point, and he had no doubt that he would hear it again in the future with her teasing, but he didn’t mind as much as he let on. 

Glancing down at his watch, he realised just how long it had been since they left the hotel, a walk that shouldn’t have taken nearly as much time as it did, and he sighed at the thought of the questions he would get asked about his whereabouts the moment he walked back into that ballroom. But he had to get back. 

With a polite nod of his head, he sent a small smile her way. “Goodnight, Diana.”

He folded his coat neatly over his forearm as he turned on his heel, despite how he would prefer to stay out here in the cold with her rather than head back to that dreadful event, and he almost missed the way Diana whispered behind him.

“Goodnight, Wesker.”

[arklay]

but i would kneel for you.

pairing: diana x albert wesker words: 8.3k warnings: nsfw [read on ao3]

The noise outside of Wesker’s office was absurd. How this lot were a special forces division baffled her when they behaved like a gaggle of schoolchildren. Diana hoped they only acted like this when they were leaving for their lunch break and not when actual work had to be done, or when they were out in the field, otherwise she would now understand why Wesker got so many headaches.

The door to his office opened once the noise had quieted down and she turned her head to watch as Wesker froze in the doorway for a moment, the scowl on his face seemed to lessen once he recognised her and an amused smirk made its way onto his lips.

He took in the sight of her sitting on his desk in her usual pencil skirt with her tight-clad legs crossed over one another, and as always, she looked beautiful, mesmerising even. How she had managed to sneak in unnoticed with those heels was beyond him, unless she convinced someone on the team she had an appointment with him, but he doubted it. With a small shake of his head, he closed the door behind him then crossed the room.

“How was your meeting?” Diana asked, not bothering to hide how uninterested her voice sounded, as always when it came to his dealings with Chief Irons. The man was a creep and she preferred to stay as far away from him as possible, unless the city wanted to see their “great hero” of a police chief show up dead one morning.

He rounded the desk and her eyes stayed fixed on him, watching the way his jaw was set and brows knit together from her reminder. But he didn’t answer her, only slumping down into his chair, removing his sunglasses to toss them onto the desk next to her – which was an odd sight with how he usually treated them – before pinching the bridge of his nose. 

She waited for him to say something, but he only leaned his head further back against the headrest and closed his eyes, and that intrigued her. “That bad?”

“He is repulsive,” Wesker grumbled. She couldn’t argue with him there, but she was still curious as to what had occurred, not that he could tell her anyway. Umbrella’s intelligence matters were classified, and his meetings usually weren’t typical “police” business. “The man believes he is more valuable than he is.”

Diana scoffed then, earning a slight smirk from him, but when he stayed quiet once more, she pursed her lips with a slight tilt of her head to the side and wondered what that could possibly mean. Perhaps he was asking for more money from Umbrella to keep his mouth shut, he seemed the type. Or he could have had another one of his temper tantrums over Wesker holding more power than he does – that the captain of a unit being run out of his department was giving him, of all people, orders.

His hands coming up to rub his eyes then down his face again brought her out of her thoughts, and her eyes narrowed as she scanned over the rest of his body, only to find that his jaw was still clenched and his shoulders stiff. When she wasn’t the cause of his ire, she found it bothered her quite a bit – another horrid reminder she cared for him more than she wished to. She hoped he wasn’t getting a migraine though, because the little thought that had popped up in her head as she made her way over to his office was back. Perhaps he needs a bit of stress relief.

Eyes looking over his face again, her gaze wandered down the slope of his nose, then to his jaw, admiring the sharp edges she so often loved to trace when they lay together. His neck wasn’t safe from her ogling either. If she didn’t have such a good grip on her self-control, she probably would have climbed onto his lap and pressed kisses over that prominent peak at his throat, down to the appealing dip between his collarbones. 

A certain idea regarding the space under his desk crossed her mind, making her squeeze her thighs together as inconspicuously as she could at the sudden need for friction, but she was feeling too selfish for that. Maybe another time. She could annoy him in other ways though.

Wesker’s eyes fluttered open as he felt her foot brush against his leg and he lifted his head to look at her. Diana had that familiar teasing smile on her lips as she kept her eyes locked on his, uncrossing her legs and opening them the slightest bit, and she delighted in the smirk he tried to hide. Anyone else would have missed it, but she could easily detect the slightest hint of the corner of his lips threatening to pull, alongside the amusement evident in his gorgeous blue eyes.

She returned to trailing her foot a little higher up the side of his shin as she placed her hands behind her, leaning back on her arms and pushing her chest out slightly. Where was the harm in trying to rile him up in his office of all places? From where she was sitting, the easiest place to touch him that she knew was particularly sensitive were his thighs, but perhaps a little something else could entice him too…

He observed her curiously. It was quite endearing when she teased, however, he never let her go too far with her plans. Or so he thought. Her end goal was always to have him absolutely ruin her though – take her as his and leave marks that would remind her of their time together every time she looked at her body in the mirror – and when putting her in her place, he was doing exactly that.

Settling more comfortably into his desk chair, he propped his elbows up on the arms and steepled his fingers in front of him, holding her gaze. Her eyes lit up at that, pleased to see that he was entertaining her little game, and he found that rather cute. Her smirk grew wider, more lascivious, until she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and slowly opened her legs a bit wider, making a show of it.

When Diana resumed brushing her foot up his leg, Wesker reached down and gripped her ankle, not tight enough to hurt – he’d probably snap the delicate joint if he did – but enough that it made her suck in a sharp breath as heat pooled deep in her belly.

“Don't tempt me.” His even voice was accompanied by a low growl as a warning, and that didn’t help matters much for her – body already reacting far too easily to his touch alone – and she knew for a fact he had done it intentionally, knowing just how much it always affected her.

It usually took a bit more stimulation to get him to this point though, especially if they weren’t already making out, so she wondered if whatever had happened with Irons had made his blood boil so much that he was more sensitive to her touch. Or it was the stockings. She found he seemed to have quite a liking for stockings.

The look he sent her way next was cautionary, telling her to stop before she got in over her head, but that only spurred her on.

She tilted her head to the side before reaching down over one of her knees, fingers lightly walking over the fabric before she hooked them under the hem of her skirt. She watched him suppress a smile because of her defiance, before his gaze shifted from looking at her face to down to her long, slender fingers, and she smiled to herself. After taking her time in pushing the fabric up to reveal more of her legs – giving him a peek of the lace at her thighs – Diana’s fingers returned to her knee before she slowly skimmed them up the inner side, a small sigh leaving her lips. She stopped just underneath where her skirt now ended and Wesker’s eyes darted back up to meet hers; the way they had darkened made her pulse jump and sent a shiver straight down her spine.

“I cannot stand you,” he huffed, though she could see how his hands were strategically placed over his lap, and a teasing smirk played on her lips. The fact that she had picked up on all the little things that made his body betray him was probably rather irritating.

“Is that so? Must be why you keep inviting me over for dinner.”

Diana watched his jaw clench again and for a second she regretted her choice of words, only because of the way he’d tensed up at Sherry’s inquiry into their relationship status a few weeks back, and she didn’t want him to think she was questioning if he had feelings for her as well. But when his eyes locked onto hers again, mirth mixed in with irritation, her smirk turned into a rather devilish grin. 

It wasn’t often she got the upper hand on him like this. He was always teasing her or backing her into a corner, getting her all riled up, before he sometimes wouldn’t even follow through – just to feel proud of himself for being able to get under her skin. It was infuriating, the countless times he’d left her frustrated and distracted at work, knowing full well that she would be cursing him all day for doing such a thing. Sadistic prick, she thought. He seemed to always think with the head on his shoulders when it came to toying with her. Mind games were fun when she wanted to play, but she desired something much more rewarding for her efforts.

Leaning back on her hands again, Diana lifted a leg out in front of her, extending her foot as she gave her ankle a light roll. His eyes narrowed as he watched her, roaming up her leg and to the lace for a moment before they fixed on her own blue ones again. She bent her knee and placed her foot on his thigh, pressing her heel down harder than she probably should have with her stilettos, and the feeling of that set him off. He shoved her leg aside with his forearm then stood up quicker than she anticipated, positioning himself between her legs.

Wesker placed his hands flat on the surface of the desk, on either side of her thighs, and leaned down to level his face with hers. “I am at work.”

His breath was hot on her lips and she searched his eyes for a reaction as she brushed her lips against his own, only for a quick moment though, then she withdrew. “You’re on your lunch break.” Her eyes roamed down his body again, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, before she looked back up to meet his gaze. “Which I must say, there isn’t much eating going on here.”

Cheeky little thing. The corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk and he moved even closer towards her, caging her in, and her legs wrapped around his waist in an instant. Bringing a hand up to her neck, he pushed her hair aside then dipped his head to place a single kiss over her pulse point – the little gasp that left her made him grin against her skin.

Looking up at her again, he cupped her cheek, thumb gently stroking her cheekbone. “You really wish to do this here?”

Diana nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly. “Yes, I thought I made that quite clear.”

He let out little more than an exhale as a laugh at how harsh her tone was. Insolent is more apt. His fingers trailed along her jaw, thumb and forefinger eventually taking hold of her chin, then he tilted her head back as he looked into her eyes. “Are you going to behave? You must be quiet lest we get caught.”

Her brows furrowed then and she threw a pointed glare his way. “Would you like to remind me of a time that I have ever been loud?” One of his brows raised at that, the smirk on his face growing as he cocked his head to the side, silently mocking her for being too proud for her own good. Breathy moans and tiny gasps may have been what usually left her lips, but she has cried out his name on more than one occasion. For her own sake, she abandoned the topic, snaking her arms around his neck while holding his gaze, then she whispered against his lips, “I’ll be good.”

Wesker hummed at her obedience as the backs of his fingers ran down the front of her elegant neck, feeling the firm cartilage beneath soft skin, and his gaze left hers to follow their path. He revelled in the way her breath hitched when his fingertips continued a line down her sternum, over the top of her silk blouse. She was always so put together, so presentable, and he found himself admiring her more often than not. Truly a work of art.

Diana leaned in to claim his lips in a greedy kiss, obviously fed up with how he was taking his time, thinking he was drawing this out on purpose to annoy her, and he all but laughed into her mouth. All that did was give her the opportunity to slip her tongue past his lips as her hand went to the front of his pants, running over the thick outline trapped beneath. That gave him a slight bit of relief to the itch that was begging to be scratched, and he welcomed the shiver that went down his spine.

Once he’d pulled away from the kiss, he was in the middle of looking down at her thighs to push her skirt further up her legs when she gripped his chin and held him in place to look into his eyes. A quick break from her teasing, she earnestly asked, “Do you want this?”

“Yes,” he replied before she even finished speaking, and he pressed another peck to her lips. Her hands slid up his chest, adoring the firm muscle beneath his shirt, before she locked her arms behind his head again. The soft touch of her lips barely making contact with the side of his neck once she’d rested her head on his shoulder made him smile to himself. “I wouldn’t be doing this”—he gripped her thighs a little too hard, earning a small whimper—“if I didn’t.” 

Diana scoffed, then kissed her way down his neck, teeth nipping when she reached just below his collar. The moment she sucked on the delicate skin, he resumed what he was doing before she had interrupted him, quickly pushing her skirt up, and she lifted her hips to allow him to bunch it up around her waist.

“You look lovely today, dearheart,” Wesker whispered, only reverence in his voice, and she muffled the moan that left her by burying her face in the crook of his neck. The low chuckle he let out went right between her thighs and she bit down on her lip. 

The warmth spreading throughout her chest was almost overwhelming, ridiculous even. He always had a way of making her feel beautiful, even when they were like this. Maybe because he never looked at her the way her previous partners had, but instead like she was one of the many pieces she’d seen her babushka work on growing up, mimicking the way her childlike wonder had once marvelled at how stone could possibly be shaped to look so soft.

Before she knew it, Wesker gripped the backs of her knees and roughly pulled her towards him so she was sitting right on the edge of his desk, and she had to stop herself from letting out a small squeak at his sudden display of strength.

Dropping to his knees, the corner of his lips turned up as he ran his palms up her thighs, getting a good look at the sheer garments she had teased him with before. His fingers played with one of the lace welts high up on her long legs, and he smiled. He was used to her wearing tights most of the time, but this was quite a welcome change.

He hummed. “These are new.”

“Yes, well, someone ripped my rather expensive tights.” Diana glared down at him and he looked up to meet her gaze, the smug smirk she would’ve adored if not for the topic graced his lips, proud of himself for destroying her favourite pair of tights that she’d kept run-free for so long.

“They were in the way,” he said plainly. How her jaw dropped, even with the smile evident on her lips, and the way she laughed in disbelief made his heart beat a little faster. Every time he heard that melodic sound, he couldn’t get enough of it, but he always pushed aside the feeling it brought up inside of him. Admiration, surely. He pressed a kiss to the small amount of skin visible at the top of her thigh before he pushed her skirt further up her waist, kissing his way to the scar near her hip bone. “I like these far better. Besides, I bought you a new pair, did I not?”

“You could have just taken them off like a normal person.”

Her hands roaming over his broad shoulders were barely holding back from reaching for the buttons of his shirt. She wanted to get the offending material off of him, but it would take too long and he was already making her wait more than she wanted.

“And when have you ever known me to be normal, my dear?” Wesker held her gaze as he brought a hand in between her thighs, firmly pressing the pads of his fingers down over her damp panties, rubbing in slow, circular motions. She bit her lip in an attempt to not let any more noises escape her, and he chuckled.

Dipping his fingers into the side of the lace, he pulled it aside, taking a moment to look at how wet she was – how much she desired him – and it made him exceptionally proud of himself that he had such an effect on her without having to do much of anything. With his other hand pushing her thigh back, opening her legs wider for him, he leaned in and lapped at her folds. Diana held onto the edge of the wooden desk and he pulled her legs over his shoulders, making a breathy moan slip past her lips, and he stopped what he was doing, looking up at her with a warning in his eyes.

Reaching between her legs, she brushed her thumb across his cheekbone, noticing the way his eyes almost fluttered shut and she tried not to smile too wide at that. Looking down at him like this always made her head too big, it was almost like he was worshipping her. Almost. He was on his knees for her, after all.

She so desperately wanted to tangle her hand in his hair, but that would ruin his perfect hairstyle and he still had the rest of his workday ahead of him, so she simply rested her hand on his cheek. Wesker turned his head and kissed her palm, making those stupid little butterflies in her stomach appear, and she cursed herself for feeling something more towards him. “Just sex” didn’t last long, now did it?

“Behave,” he scolded her, reminding her to be quiet. She nodded fervently and he smirked at her blatant desperation before turning his attention back to her core.

His tongue circled that sensitive bundle of nerves and her mouth fell open in a silent cry, hands gripping the edge of the desk again so she didn’t accidentally tug on his hair. She watched one of Wesker’s hands pull the fingerless glove off of the other while his lips gently sucked on her clit, and she did everything in her power to suppress her moans.

He typically didn’t bother this much with foreplay in his former dalliances, finding oral somewhat tedious, a waste of time. He only ever cared for satisfying his need for release, though he did enjoy watching his partner fall apart because of him. That’s how it had started with Diana too, and he hated that it had changed somewhere along the line – that he wanted to make her feel good.

Wesker turned his head to nip the bare skin of her thigh and Diana let out a pleased sigh, one of her heels digging into the middle of his back. He ran his tongue over the small bite as his hand gripped the outside of her thigh before he sucked on the sensitive skin, and that made her head loll to the side as one of her hands reached over to lay flat on top of his.

His other hand – now free of its glove – came between her thighs, and he looked up at her while dragging two fingers over her slick folds after adjusting her panties again. The slight roll of her hips made him smirk, the action a silent plea for more, like she was begging him without even using her words, and at any other time he probably would’ve toyed with her a little longer, but instead he decided to indulge her.

Middle finger teasing at her entrance, he leaned in to kiss over the length of one of her hip bones. The little hum that left her lips was a pretty sound, not quite like her laugh, but not far off, and he seized the opportunity to push his finger into her, all the way to the knuckle.

Diana’s hand gripped his own on her thigh as she bit her lip and her brows knit together, trying desperately not to make any more noise. After a few strokes, he added another, and she quietly mewled at the delightful stretch. The quick puff of warm air over her cunt told her he was trying not to chuckle, but she was too distracted by the slow drag of his fingers inside of her, basking in the intoxicating feeling she’d missed more than she liked to admit.

It hadn’t even been three weeks since they slept together last – and they had gone longer between their irregular trysts before – but his fingers felt far better than her own, and she’d been thinking about him an awful lot. Her thoughts were cut off when Wesker’s lips enclosed around her clit again and she gasped, tipping her head back. She wished she could just grip his hair and hold him closer, but the last thing she wanted was for him to stop because she’d pulled strands free from how he’d meticulously styled them.

Swirling his tongue against her, he pumped his fingers faster, crooking them to brush over that sweet spot inside of her, and Diana forcefully weaved her fingers with his own on her thigh, holding his hand with a firm grip. That almost made him falter on the steady pace he’d built up as that unnerving tightness in his chest took hold. No matter how many times she did that when they slept together, he would never get used to it.

It didn’t take long before he felt her thighs start to tremble on his shoulders and her walls fluttered around his fingers as he drew her close to the edge. When a high-pitched noise caught in her throat, chest heaving and breath ragged, he placed one last open-mouthed kiss just above her flushed skin and pulled his fingers from her.

Diana whined at the sudden emptiness and the way the coil in her belly started to fade away, and her hips involuntarily bucked up against his chin, chasing his touch. He was such a tease, she could have kicked him in the head for that, but any annoyance she may have felt vanished the moment he slipped his fingers past his lips and sucked on them, eyes locked on to hers as he deliberately opened his mouth to make her watch his tongue swirl around the digits. She completely froze up at that and her own lips parted, from shock or desire, she couldn’t quite tell. Perhaps it was a mix of both.

He only watched as she gaped at him and that fed his ego tremendously. Making her speechless was one of the more entertaining parts of their encounters, though nothing could top the desperate begging. Every time he could reduce the ever-composed Dr. Sharp to a keening mess was a satisfying endeavour, and he enjoyed having that effect on her, turning her games back on herself.

Releasing his fingers with a wet pop, Wesker licked his lips and wiped his chin on the back of his hand as he rose to his feet, letting her thighs fall off of his shoulders and Diana’s eyes stayed fixed on his, pupils blown so wide that hardly any blue was visible. As much as he could stare at her all day, he wasn’t done with her yet. He reached out and cupped her jaw then roughly pulled her in for a kiss, instantly slipping his tongue past her parted lips so she could taste herself on him.

One of her hands quickly came up to grasp the nape of his neck, pulling him even closer, and a sound somewhere between a moan and a hum escaped her when their chests brushed together. He was taking too long with this given their circumstances, but he knew just how much the taste of herself on his tongue drove her mad, and he would never pass up an opportunity to toy with her.

Wesker pulled away from the kiss with a small bite to her bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth as he locked eyes with her, and all Diana could do was watch him as she panted into the space between them. She wished he would just hurry up and give her what she wanted, but she wasn’t going to beg for him here, not on the off-chance that someone heard her. She still had some of her dignity left, after all.

He quickly opened and scanned each of his desk drawers in search of a spare condom, but came up empty. Any other day he would’ve laughed at that, it would have given him a reason to deny her the release she was so desperately craving, yet the aching below his belt was nagging him as well, and with the amount of nonsense Irons was putting him through for no good reason as of late, he needed to find relief for at least one of his urges or he’d be in a foul mood all day.

Turning back to her, he watched as Diana leaned back on one of her arms and held her free hand up between them, the item he was looking for pressed between two of her fingers with a triumphant smirk on her lips. Of course she brought one, he thought. The confidence she had in being able to rile him up was annoying, only because it reminded him that she knew exactly what buttons to press, and her memory of the sensitive areas of his body or the situations that aroused him made him acutely aware that he wasn’t the only one playing a game.

A chuckle left his lips as he shook his head in amusement and plucked the condom from her grasp, and she reached over and pulled him close again by his belt, her legs hooking behind his knees as she did so. Her hands instantly went to work on the accessory in her way, unbuckling with practised ease before she quickly pulled the zipper of his pants down.

“You are rather impatient, dear,” Wesker teased, the arrogant smirk she had come to find far too attractive gracing his lips.

“Are you forgetting where we are?” Diana asked, rather snappy at that, and glanced up at him as she hooked her fingers beneath the waistband of both his pants and briefs, roughly tugging them down his thighs to free his cock.

The mere sight of him made that pressing ache between her thighs even more intense, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her hand wrapped around the base. The small sigh that left his lips was enticing enough in and of itself. It truly was ridiculous how much she desired him. Actually, it was embarrassing – that he had this hold on her while simply standing there, and it absolutely infuriated her, yet her body begging for more outweighed any rational thought that may have crossed her mind and she felt him harden even further beneath her touch from her firm strokes.

When he still hadn’t torn open the wrapper she looked up at him again, only to find him watching her with a strangely soft smirk on his lips, and that just made her even more annoyed. She let out a heavy sigh as her thumb mindlessly smeared the fluid at his tip. “What?”

“You are quite cute when you’re irritated, that’s all.”

Wesker expected her to scoff and roll her eyes, perhaps chide him for denying her release a moment ago, not for her cheeks to flush and her hand to fumble on his cock ever so slightly. That was intriguing. It wasn’t the result he was looking for, using such a word, but he loved how much power he had over her, that he could make one of the most collected women he’d ever met flustered. Anyone else would have gotten a look of disgust before she walked away from them for calling her that, but not him.

He finally ripped the wrapper open then nudged her hand aside to roll the condom down his length, and Diana rested her hands on his sides as she watched him. Cute? How dare he… She wasn’t cute, and he would do well to remember that. And yet her cheeks were still burning at the way he had said it, not quite teasing her but not a simple statement either. Honestly, she had no idea what to call the tone he’d used. Affectionate seemed too extreme, and it only made those wretched butterflies appear in her stomach again, so she chose not to think too hard on it instead.

Pulling her panties aside once more with one hand, he took hold of himself with the other, rubbing his tip along her folds as he teased at her entrance. Why he was so focused on toying with her was a mystery to her, especially when he already had her so desperate, and she rolled her hips to encourage him further while leaning in to lick a stripe up his neck. That got a chuckle out of him and she didn’t have time to react to the way he gripped her hips as he sunk into her in one fluid motion, making her gasp loudly into the crook of his neck, and her arms wrapped around his back.

Wesker ran his hands up and down the backs of her thighs as he gave her a moment to adjust, trying to focus on the feeling of her breath on his neck and the sheer fabric beneath his palms rather than the aching need to move. That is, until she started peppering small kisses across his skin.

Bumping his nose against her cheek prompted her to look at him again, but he only allowed her a second to meet his eyes before he captured her lips in an aggressive kiss, tongue instantly in her mouth and teeth almost knocking. His hips began moving at a steady pace and Diana hummed into the kiss, until he pulled out almost all the way before thrusting back into her, then her hands balled into fists as she gripped his shirt. He repeated the motion a second time, harsher, deeper, and her legs wound tighter around his waist as she arched against him, unintentionally changing the angle and making her moan into his mouth as he hit her just right.

He broke away from her lips to kiss a trail across her jaw then down her neck, his hips picking up speed, and Diana sucked in a sharp breath to stop the noise that threatened to spill from her lips. One of her hands kept coming up to his head on instinct and she was surprised she managed to stop herself just in time before those blond strands were in danger, so she settled on gripping his shoulder instead.

One of his hands laid flat against the desk as the other gripped under her knee, pulling her even closer, and soon enough his thrusts grew more forceful, sending warmth rolling down her spine, and her head lolled to the side with a moan before she could stop herself.

Wesker let go of her leg to reach up and close his hand around her throat. “Quiet.”

Diana nodded lazily before lifting her head to look at him through half-lidded eyes, her pleasure written clearly across her features, and he would bet she was trying her hardest not to moan again at the feeling of his hand around her throat like this. Wesker adjusted his grip, only grasping her lightly so as to not hurt her, then he pulled her closer to connect his lips with hers again.

There was no mistaking how possessive it was, a reminder that she belonged to him and only him, and she reciprocated eagerly, one of her hands coming up to hold onto the nape of his neck. Any reaction she would usually have from such a hold on her throat was overwhelmed by the way his hips were meeting hers, every nerve ending in her body already feeling as though they had been set alight.

He drove into her harder, letting go of her throat to cradle her back and Diana parted from the kiss to rest her head against his shoulder, breathing heavily against his shirt as every thrust had her gasping for air. Either her teasing had really riled him up this time, or the amount of pressure he was under needed an outlet. Whatever it was, Diana didn’t really care; she wasn’t complaining in the slightest as every pull was pure bliss.

Her heart was beating so loud she could hear it in her ears and her skin felt far too hot, warmth spreading throughout her entire body as his punishing motions had her muffling her whimpers into the crook of his neck while she clutched his shirt at his back. That is, however, until a loud thump brought them both out of their haze.

Diana couldn’t even be frustrated as the pressure in her abdomen dissipated for a second time that afternoon when Wesker slowed his thrusts to lean over her and peek across the edge of the desk, searching for the source of the noise. She could only try and stifle her oncoming laughter against his neck, locking her arms behind his head and holding onto him tightly.

The sight of one of his hardcover books that usually sat atop his desk, pressed up against the wall, lying open on the floor with its spine to the ceiling made him sigh. Surely some of the pages would have creases in them now, and that irritated him more than it should have given the situation. But once he looked back at Diana, he couldn’t help the chuckle that spilled from his lips as that strange warmth built up in his chest. She was trying so hard not to laugh, her body shaking against him as silent laughter took hold, short breaths warming the side of his neck.

Pressing a kiss into her hair made her look up at him, and he wasn’t prepared for the way his heart sped up at the sight of her – the way her nose was scrunched up and the corners of her eyes had crinkled, and how the indents on her cheeks had become deeper. Admittedly, it took his breath away. How was she possibly real? Amongst the rest of these chaff, where did Umbrella find someone like her? So beautiful, so… perfect.

Wesker connected his lips with hers while picking up his pace again in a desperate need to distract himself from whatever that feeling was, much preferring the familiar build up of his climax. But her smile was infectious, and he found himself grinning with her as they practically breathed into each other’s mouths instead of actually kissing.

Opening her eyes, Diana held his gaze as he gripped her thigh harder, the sound of skin on skin filling the room merely background noise to her as she tried to figure out what the look in his eyes possibly was. She had no clue, but it made her cheeks warm, nonetheless. Was it reverence? He sure was staring at her as though she was something holy, but he also seemed conflicted. The small glimpse of genuine joy she had only witnessed a handful of times since meeting him faded away almost instantly to his usual detached disposition.

The words he had spoken to her the first time they slept together worked their way to the front of her mind: You don’t have to hide from me. She so desperately wanted to relay those back to him, but she felt it would only make him retreat further, put whatever relationship they’d built back to square one the moment she made him aware of such a reaction.

She cupped his cheek and kissed him, capturing his lips with her own this time and despite the force of his hips meeting hers, she kept it slow. She wanted to tell him that he could smile with her, that he was allowed to laugh, be vulnerable even... Stop thinking about it.

Wesker’s arms wrapped around her back as he pulled her flush against his chest and she gasped into his mouth, an almost choked sob accompanying it. Her head tipped back as the pressure in her core pulled tight, and she bit her lip a little too late as a barely audible plea escaped her lips.

He watched her intently, as best he could given their situation, and he despised her for stepping foot into his office, for touching him when he was already wound tight, for even knowing where he was sensitive in the first place, but if it wasn’t the most satisfying thing to hear her like that, to make her fall apart. His peak was so near as he kept up his relentless pace, and there was only one word that kept repeating in his head.

Mine.

“Al, I need—” Diana was cut off by a particularly deep thrust and she buried her face against his neck. “Please,” she whined right near his ear.

His hands slid under her ass and he lifted her slightly off the desk to change his angle, making her sob as she wrapped her arms tighter around his back. The pressure in her core was almost painful with how desperate she was for release. So close, yet so out of reach.

Cradling her with one arm, he brought the hand of his other between them and his thumb found her clit, frantically rubbing it as he thrust into her. “Come for me.”

It was more of a mutter than anything, voice obscured by laboured breaths, but only a few more swipes of his thumb and she came undone. Wesker kissed her in time before she could cry out, drinking in the sounds of her release until she broke away to rest her forehead against his shoulder, and he rode her through her high, keeping that pleasure ablaze as he chased his own.

Her walls clenching around him quickly turned his steady rhythm erratic, and he gripped her hips and buried his face in her hair. It didn’t take long until he pressed his hips flush against hers and a low groan reverberated from deep within his chest as he stilled and every muscle in his body pulled taut.

Diana slowly ran her hands up and down his back, soothing him through his climax as she still trembled from her own, and he set her back down on the desk, leaning on his palms as he breathed against her neck. Her heart felt like it was going to break free of her rib cage at any moment and a breathless laugh left her lips. She barely managed to press a kiss to his temple as he lifted his head to look at her, and she gave him a small smile.

“Thanks for lunch.”

A short exhale from his nose left him in place of a laugh as Wesker pressed his forehead against hers, which made her smile widen. His breathing was almost steady already and she cursed him for how quickly he always seemed to recover while she was still panting into the space between them.

“You’re a nuisance,” he said, almost affectionately, then captured her lips in a sweet kiss, one that had her reaching up to cradle his face in her hands as her stomach fluttered rather obnoxiously. He pulled away after a moment to look in her eyes, her hands remaining on both of his cheeks, thumbs brushing over his high cheekbones, before he leaned in again to place a single peck on her lips. “We need to—”

“Yeah,” Diana interrupted him and cleared her throat. She let go of his face and quickly dropped her arms to her sides, resuming her position from earlier as she leaned back on her hands and tilted her head to the side to simply watch him.

Wesker reached behind himself to grab the tissue box off the top of the sideboard against the wall, his other hand rubbing small circles on her hip as he slowly pulled out of her. He took extra care in cleaning her up, like always when they slept together, strangely gentle no matter how he’d taken her, and she just looked on curiously. This tender behaviour, she couldn’t figure it out. Him. She couldn’t figure him out.

Reaching out, she straightened his shirt and helped him tuck it back into his pants once he’d cleaned himself off, and his eyes darted up to meet hers. The warmth in them almost made her look away, feeling more exposed in front of him than any time he’d mapped out her body. Her thoughts of whether there was a possibility her feelings were reciprocated or not were interrupted when he gently grasped the side of her neck, just under her ear, and his thumb brushed over the angle of her jaw as he pulled her in for another kiss.

Any tension that had crept up into her shoulders melted away as his lips moved against her own. It was almost painful when he was affectionate like this, like she was being teased with something that would get snatched away at any moment. It was the same story every time: they’d tease, then fuck, then be oddly tender, before going back to acting like nothing ever happened. She didn’t know if it was because they had acknowledged something was going on between them the other week, but things felt slightly different this time.

Diana let him pull away to finish fixing his pants, not feeling entirely comfortable looking him in the eyes after her foolish thoughts had gotten the better of her. The sound of him buckling his belt made her sigh, reminding her she needed to fix her own clothes. 

Hoping her legs were going to work and she wouldn’t fall flat on her face, she pushed herself off of his desk, and he reached over to land a small, playful slap on her ass, earning another one of those laughs he adored so much. She glanced over at him while tugging her skirt back down around her legs and he cast a barely-there smile her way, one she returned as she leaned in and craned her neck to peck his lips.

The racket of his subordinates filing into the S.T.A.R.S. office alerted her that their activities had lasted far longer than she had planned. Sighing, she bent over to pick her heels up from where they’d fallen off her feet and to the floor, and slipped them back on, but Wesker just chuckled.

“How did you sneak in here?” Diana turned to him with a brow raised and he elaborated, “They were leaving when I returned from my meeting.”

The corner of her lips pulled up in a small smirk and she ran two of her fingers over the surface of his desk, making her way to his discarded sunglasses as she closed the distance between them. “Now that would be revealing my methods.” His eyes narrowed and she chuckled as she picked up the shades. “They are an awfully distracted bunch.”

Wesker sighed, the slight annoyance twisting his features told her that he dealt with that often, at least recently. She brought his sunglasses up between them, sliding them over his ears with a small smile on her lips while holding his gaze. He only watched her, curious when she eventually averted her eyes, but the smile didn’t leave her lips, and she slid a hand down to pat his chest twice before pulling away.

Picking her handbag up from under his desk, she moved away from him to walk towards the door, but what she didn’t expect was for him to reach out and gently take hold of her other hand, making her stop in place. That shouldn’t have made her breath catch in her throat, and she found herself just uselessly standing there in shock, staring down at his thumb caressing the back of her hand.

Eyes darting back up to his face, Diana only looked into his eyes as she had no idea what to say to that. Odd… She tilted her head to the side, but he dropped her hand and brushed past her, walking around the desk. Taking a deep breath now that his back was turned, she cursed herself for the feelings she had been trying desperately to cast aside. Confusing was the only word she could use to describe him – she wished he would stop showing her these fleeting moments where she could believe he felt something more for her.

Wesker rested his hand on the doorknob, looking back over at her and smirking to himself when he realised she hadn’t moved, not even a little bit. Making her flustered twice in one afternoon? That was unheard of, but it made him far too proud of himself. He cleared his throat and her head snapped to meet him, before she quickly looked away again, fixing her shirt and hair one last time.

That familiar dignified attitude had taken hold of her once more by the time she made her way over and stood in front of him, narrowing her eyes as she held his gaze. With a small nod towards the door, she silently signalled for him to open it, challenging the arrogant smirk that had pulled onto his lips. She wished she didn’t feel the need to run, but she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. It was getting increasingly difficult to ignore her feelings when he kept looking at her like that.

He abruptly reached out and she almost flinched, his hand coming up to the side of her head. But all he did was tuck a stray hair back into place, lingering as his eyes scanned over the rest of her, no doubt looking for anything else out of place that he could fix.

Diana lowered her voice and the corners of her lips pulled upwards, almost as though she was trying not to smile. You moron, don’t show him that. “I will leave you to explain this to them.”

The urge to pull her in for another kiss was quite annoying in all honesty – that he wanted to hold her close and talk about nonsense the same way they usually did after they had sex. As much as she infuriated him, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed her presence, and the fact that she had the nerve to challenge him. It was quite an interesting game to play. He would never admit that she made him feel more than just fascination or some deep respect, that William was correct in assuming that he was utterly obsessed with her. It didn’t matter, it would go no further than that.

Wesker pulled the door open and Diana instantly walked past him, her demeanour turning entirely professional, and she made sure to turn towards him and keep her back to his team. The last thing either of them needed was for one of them to figure out she was connected to Umbrella and in turn compromise his position. Both of her hands grasped the straps of her handbag as she brought it in front of her while stopping to stand before him, then she gave him a polite nod of her head.

“Thank you for seeing me at such an inopportune time, Captain.” She let the mask slip for a second to wink at him, and he couldn't believe her. The fact that he almost smiled at such insolent behaviour was absurd.

Before he even had time to respond, she turned on her heel and left the room, the distinct sound of her heels clicking down the hall making him do the exact same back towards his office. His team, on the other hand, were not so quick to disregard such an encounter.

“Who was that?”