Chris Redfield x Reader

Six

A few meters from a house, Chris left the car and hid it between some trees. It had become dark again, you had been on the road for two days.

With a long sigh, you leaned out the window and breathed in the cold air.

It smelled of winter, sharp air and dried wood. Somewhere, it smelled like a campfire, mixed with the gasoline of the car.

"Shit, finally walking again.", you laughed, enjoying the sound the snow made under your feet as you got out of the car.

The opening of the driver's door sounded, then it slammed shut again and a moment later there was the clicking of Chris's lighter again.

Rolling your eyes you took a few steps away from the car to lean against a tree trunk. Your legs felt like stone, it even hurt a little to walk again after so long.

But it also felt good to be back in the field. The soldier in you awoke and suddenly the nervousness turned to excitement.

"So, Redfield, what's the plan?", you exhaled cold air that formed white clouds on your lips.

Next to the car, he inhaled a few puffs of the cigarette before turning his gaze to you.

He really had grown up, you thought, as you noticed the sharp edges on his face.

This man was aging like fine wine. Hopefully, you would never encounter him when he was past the age of fifty. He would certainly look irresistible with gray hair.

Without a word, he reached into the back seat and pulled out a pile of papers, which he dropped onto the warm hood of the car.

"Read for yourself.", he allowed you to look at his documents.

You let your eyes fly over the lines, first a shot should be fired to test, then everything else would happen spontaneously. If the suspect reached, open fire was allowed. The man had to be protected at all cost. The baby was priority number one.

The Winter family seemed to be as average as possible, a wife named Mia, Ethan, the husband and a newborn daughter.

You remembered her name, Rosemary.

"Who names their child Rosemary these days?", you asked, flipping through the papers.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Parent's choice.", he said briefly, taking another breath from the cigarette.

The smell of smoke hit your nose and immediately your mood worsened.

"What would you name your children if you had any?", you suddenly asked.

You didn't know why, but for some reason you were interested in what he would choose.

Surprised by your question, he raised both eyebrows. But he didn't dismiss it as ridiculous and actually thought about it for a moment.

"If it was a boy, it would be Richard. If it was a girl Claire, after my sister.", he answered honestly.

Agreeing, you nodded.

"I remember her.", you murmured, absorbed in the report of Ethan and his experiences at the Baker house.

That man's life sounded like one big pile of shit.

Wife disappeared without a word, obsession to find her again, own investigation, then an encounter with mutants and a bioweapon. He had been the one to stop Eveline, all by himself to add to that.

How the hell was this guy still alive and not deeply mentally disturbed?

With a long sigh, you put the papers aside. It wasn't as terrible as you had expected it to he, but it could have been a bit less... monstrous.

The planned actions seemed a bit over The too but you trusted Chris and his experience. He knew what he was doing.

"Good.", you pressed your lips together. "Now tell me why you're doing this?"

Puzzled, Chris frowned.

"What exactly?", he asked. "I already told you, we need to secure the baby."

You pointed to the papers, the pictures and all the information he had to offer.

"I'm not talking about your intentions. I'm talking about your actions."

"Be more specific."

"Ha. You really want to pretend, don't you? Alright, let's play this game. I've know you for long enough to know exactly that you do not like to share your information. You would rather keep everything to yourself so nobody has to burden their minds with the details. You're a lone wolf, Redfield and you act according to it.", you looked him deep in the eyes, allowing him to process the statement. "I know that those companions of yours are good soldiers like us, but I'll bet my ass that you didn't show them what you showed me. So tell me, Redfield, why me? Out of all the people you could have trusted in this fucking world, why me?"

There it was. The shimmer in his eyes. The way he looked at you told you that you had hit the mark. A hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, a shadow jumped across his face, but that disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?", he laughed, but it was a forced laugh.

He would have liked it best if you hadn't noticed.

You shrugged.

"You're an open book to me, Redfield. And I fear so am I to you. Let's be real with each other."

"I need you as my right hand. This team is my team and I trust the people with my life. But you're the only one I trust to run into a burning house full of monsters just to save my little finger. If we see anything in this house, I know that you will be the last one to run, because we've seen it all."

You had to laugh at the metaphor.

"Are you that desperate, Redfield? I never thought I'd hear you say such good words about me. Makes me look like a saint."

He growled.

"I don't want to keep anything from you. If we're going to pull this off, we're going to do it with full awareness. If you want to leave now, I won't stop you either."

"Nah, it's too late for that now. I spent two days with you in the car and now I'm in a foreign country. We will go through this side by side. That's what I'm getting paid for."

He nodded, even though it was a little bitter to hear the fact spoken.