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Being sensitive to lights, in particular, the lights in the labs is a pain in the ass. Albert had to live through it every day, always needing to wear sunglasses everywhere he goes. The looks he gets daily from everyone who didn’t understand it, who thought he was just being weird. It was a weakness he hated, he didn’t even tell this new roommate he got for this program at first. Yet…it became the one thing that bonded them…
Albert still remembered it like it was yesterday, the two were trying to not keep up the rivalry that every single mentor wanted them to have out of spite. It was a bad day for the older boy, practically trying not to puke his guts out from the constant pounding in his head as he went through the experiments required. It wasn’t obvious to anyone, not a single soul. However, he noticed that William would sometimes take a duty that was Albert’s and claimed he forgot who was who’s job. Nothing that it would be anything concerning but, it was the bigger things that were Albert’s.
“Birkin…is the sixth time you did my job…what’s up?” Albert asked as William finished switching the bacteria samples into new vials. He only hummed in response - something Albert had figured out was William’s way of confirming he heard but needed time to get the answer out.
“I just keep forgetting, I apologize.” A quiet whisper came in his response, another weird thing he’s been doing all day as well. Only whispering to Albert and around Albert.
“I can accept that for one…but this is the sixth time. What’s going on?” Albert narrowed his eyes, trying not to let a groan out at the current pain in his eyes. William placed the vials down before sighing and looking at Albert.
“You’re sick right now, you shouldn’t be down here.” The bluntness took Albert off guard, trying to figure out what could’ve given it away.
“What makes you assume I’m sick?” Another hum as he wrote something down on the paper. Another quality that Albert had noticed, whenever he was writing he can’t talk until he wrote his thoughts down. It was nothing against anyone, he just wanted his writing to look proper compared to normal.
“I’m assuming you’re having a major migraine based upon how much you’ve been squinting under your sunglasses today as well as you’ve been glaring at everyone who dares to speak louder than a normal volume, hence why I’m whispering as we’re talking. You need to rest in a dark room for a couple of hours, there’s medicine on my desk if you need it.” Albert scoffed though he was surprised that William noticed all of that.
“That is a very bold assumption to be making.”
“Am I wrong?” William looked at Albert, almost cocky in his own theory. Albert hated it but he did notice the subtle signs of William worrying for him, the gaze wasn’t as harsh as it would be against one of the other students, not holding anything but his id to try not to look scary. Albert sighed, crossing his arms in front of him. Every part of him refused the idea of resting and proving he was weak, that he needed to rest.
“You are wrong.”
“Then what is happening, Albert?” Another strange thing William had done in their time together. No one else dared to call Albert anything but Wesker yet, here’s William Birkin, the man who kept refusing to use the last name. His reasoning was strange as well, stating that Albert isn’t his last name. More strangeness was added to the youngest member. Though none of that matters when Albert couldn’t even think of a way out of this.
“That is nothing of your concern.”
“It is making you unable to do tasks and you’ve been rubbing your temples 14 times in this conversation, including right now.” That made him stop his current motion, glaring at William. Though now that cocky smirk was gone, only a look of worry…so strange. “I do believe it is my concern right now as we are working together.”
“Birkin, it is-”
“Hey!” Albert forced himself not to wince at the sudden yell in their direction, both of the young men looking over at the mentor glaring at them. It’s always Ashford… “Why are you both still down here? You were supposed to leave over 2 hours ago.” William mumbled something in Dutch, clearly annoyed. They did always stay way past the time they were supposed to whenever they could.
“Dr. Ashford, we were finishing up some final testing for the-”
“I don’t care, both of you get out. I’ll put it on the paper that I interrupted you both, now get out!” Neither could even try to argue when Ashford walked over and began writing the note on the paper, motioning both of them to leave. William kept mumbling as they walked out, at some point Albert assumed he started to make fun of Ashford with the funny accent he made up.
It was a quiet walk other than that to get back to the shared dorm room, letting the lights remain off. Albert silently thanked William for it as he walked to his lower bunk, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing his eyes. The door was shut quietly, trying to keep it as quiet as possible as William walked over and climbed up to his bed. Albert lay on his bed, feeling letting a painful moan leave him.
“...I hate you…” A quiet hum was the response, hearing a book open and from what he could see, William was using a flashlight to read under his blanket. “...there’s no way you should’ve been able to see that about me.” Another hum, small minor adjustments above him. Albert groaned, glaring up. “Speak.”
“I don’t want to make it worse.” Came the quiet whisper, sighing soon afterward. “It’s hard to figure out but…I think I’ve been around you long enough to see through those sunglasses you wear, which may I add, it’s a dead giveaway something was up, It’s just not my place to ask what is wrong, and never felt the need to ask.” Albert returned it with his own hum, hiding his face in his pillow.
“Funny…so for being quote-on-quote rivals…we see through each other.” William hummed in agreement, turning the flashlight off and from what Albert could assume, looked down from his bunk.
“Yeah…but seriously, do you need some medicine? I got some.” Albert shrugged, sighing.
“I’ll try it…anything to make it feel better…” A curse of having photophobia…nothing he does works well. He heard only a quiet hum before an almost silent thump on the floor and footsteps to the desk. It was painfully loud when he tried to get the pill, not that Albert blamed William for trying to keep it as quiet as possible.
He barely noticed when it stopped, rubbing his temples slowly before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He hummed in response, moving up and opening his palm... The pill seemed small in his hand, barely anything but it was worth a shot, downing it with ease. Nothing compared to the injections father gave me…or the… he shook away the memories trying to creep back.
“Can…can I try something?” William whispered, his hand seeming to shake out of nerves. Strange…Albert didn’t understand William very much, confident in everything but something like this made him nervous.
“Sure…” He was a little hesitant but it was worth a shot. William nodded in the dark room, slender fingers going behind Albert’s head, slowly going in circles. Albert made note of where he went, right at the spot where his head connected to his neck…why there? He closed his eyes, falling to his pillow - it seemed to make William jump but he went back to massaging the same spot.
It went on like that for a few minutes, feeling the pain subside from the headache. Albert normally would put it to medicine but he swore whenever William stopped the movements it would return with so much force. Whatever he was doing was apparently working, Albert tried to figure out what it was but he felt himself fall asleep, ask when awake then Albert.
Grey eyes cracked open, staying on the bed before forcing himself to get up. Well…he would’ve if he didn’t feel a weight on his own back. Albert moved enough to see William, passed out as well. It did give the older man a laugh, he swore it was the only time you could see William’s age, barely 15 years old yet one of the smartest people in the program. Albert moved around and laid William on the bed, watching him for the time being after lighting a candle. It was early in the morning, and no one would be trying to get them nor would they get into trouble for having a candle in the room.
While he did sleep, Albert tried to figure out what it was about that spot that made the headache disappear within a few minutes. There was no way the medicine pulled that…wait what kind of medicine was it? William never clarified the type, just that it was on his desk and it works for headaches. Slowly, he moved off the bed and walked to William’s unkempt desk, studying around for this mysterious pill bottle. Yet there was nothing that was like the item, making him even more curious. Yes, William was a virologist but there was no way he didn’t have a proper-
“Albert..?” He turned around to look at the freshly awake William, yawning as he got up. Albert watched him get on shaky legs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he looked over at the older man. Another rare moment of his age being so apparent, his eyes still had that youthful innocence in them. It was far too early for them to lose that...Umbrella hadn't stolen it from him yet. “Whatcha doing?”
“What medicine did you give me?” William cocked his head, walking over, and - after some movement on the mess of a desktop - showed the container holding all the pills. On top of the lid was a description of each pill and its uses.
“I don’t like using pill bottles…it doesn’t help that my hands get shaky whenever I try to open them.” He explained, placing the container back on the desk. It was destined to get lost on it again yet Albert knew William would find it within seconds. Albert only hummed, returning to his bed to sit down, keeping some distance between them. It was too dangerous to be friends…but being acquaintances are possible.
“What spot were you massaging last night?”
“The optical lobe.” Albert raised a brow, prompting William to sigh annoyedly. Oh did Albert pick the perfect time to remind William that not everyone is a child prodigy? He truly hopes so. “Your brain it…okay, on your brain there’s a section that is for processing what you see which is your optical lobe. It’s located at the back bottom area of your brain, hence why I was massaging there since it seems to be connected to light sensitivity. If it worked out, then maybe it could assist.”
“When the hell did you memorize the brain?” Albert looked at William, trying to guess the answer beforehand. William tended to learn things in large groups so he had to guess a time…sometime before some accident, he was in.
“Back in middle school…well, I was there for a semester. Before an accident I was in, I decided to memorize every part of the body and did it. Still recall it.” William shrugged, acting as if it was normal for someone his age to know that. Albert knew it was just part of how William is but there were days he wished William actually acted his age.
“So you just decided to do this…at what?”
“I was…9 years old. Then I did a year at high school and got to college the next year. Well, all of that after recovery. But seriously, are you doing okay now?” Ah, so Albert was right, it was before the accident. Perfect, he solved one part which was the mystery of William Birkin. Though now, there was that look again, that look of genuine concern, aimed straight at him. It honestly made him unnerved, even if he knew that William didn’t mean any ill-intent with it.
“I’m fine.” Albert waved his hand, grabbing his sunglasses and putting them on. William seemed to accept it, sitting at his desk and moving the papers around. “Do clean up your desk.” He got the middle finger with a laugh.
“Glad to know you're back to how you are. Also if you do get that way again it’s okay to rest,” William turned the chair around to look at him, “it’s okay to take care of yourself.” Albert rolled his eyes, blowing the candle out when he heard movement outside their door.
“Yeah right…go back to memorizing everything, Birkin.” He swore he could see the smile William always put on when he was trying to hide his worry before the lights turned on fully. God, he hated these lights but he had to humor them for now.
“Alright…whatever makes you happy.”
It became a trend, whenever Albert got sick from all the lights William would care for him. Ironic it was, that it helped build their friendship. Albert finally learned that the accident William often referred to was a car accident that took him out of his parents’ care and into his grandparents’ home. William got to learn more about Albert, barely enough to know the story but he was always patient with getting new information. Albert soon enough stopped calling him by his last name and went by his first name, much to the annoyance of every mentor on the campus. Albert wouldn’t admit it but he was thankful for William persisting on becoming more than just nobodies to each other and always trying to be there.
“Al?” Albert blinked a few times, looking over at William, both still on the bus getting driven to the airport. “Are you doing okay?” He waved him off, rolling his eyes.
“Tell me one time I’m not okay.” William narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth before shutting it.
“I won’t say what I know but you’re not always okay.” They both knew he was right, one of the few times William was when it was the two of them. Neither liked to be wrong after all.
“But for now, I am alright,” Albert said, a quick glance around the bus of other students. No one would notice. He leaned closer to William’s ear before whispering, “Though I could be better with you and me alone with only candlelight.” Both knew what he was referring to, he smirked when he saw William’s face become similar to a tomato.
“Albert not where everyone can hear!” He whisper-yelled into Albert’s ear, lightly punching him. Albert chuckled, glancing around before laying a hand on William’s thigh.
“No one is looking at us, dearheart.” He winced at the sudden bright light from someone being stupid outside of the bus. Fucking idiots…
“Al…we’re almost to the airport, we shouldn’t be…” William paused, thinking of something Albert couldn’t figure out. It only took a moment before Albert felt those hands on the same spot. “Is it starting again?” Perhaps it wasn’t awful to fake it to feel those slender fingers against his skin. Albert only hummed in return, acting the way he tended to whenever it got bad.
“It’ll be okay, Will.” William only hummed in return, both hands behind Albert’s neck in the spot they always go. Albert relaxed at it, closing his eyes.
“Seriously…sometimes I think I need to carry around a blindfold for you, Al.” Oh if only you knew, Will… irony of that statement when only Albert knew what he packed, for very different reasons. Albert laid his head on William’s chest, not caring who sees for the time being. For now, embrace the affection William would give so willingly.
The other students were loud, like always, it wouldn’t help if Albert actually had it happening again. It wasn’t likely to happen, the two had been secretly working on a permanent fix to it while working on the virus. Right now the current medicine they made seemed to be working well, though Albert suspects William thinks it isn’t.
“Al…I hate to stop but we’re about to stop and I don’t want them to separate us.” Albert nodded, pulling away and sighing. Damn these people…though not a single student would dare face those two, even without those rumors of anyone trying to defy them disappearing. William looked at him, those same worried eyes on him. “Hopefully we’ll be alone on the plane.”
“We will don’t worry William,” Albert reassured, grabbing his backpack and handing William’s to him as the bus slowed to a stop. They looked at each other, William cocking his head almost as if he was trying to read through Albert. Not that it would be the first time he tried; Albert only humored him because it helped try to solve William as well.
They both got out before anyone else, not wasting time grabbing their respective suitcases and getting inside, conversing as if nothing was wrong. They knew the others would follow without worry.
“Just another headache…”
“Only until I figure out how to get rid of it.” Albert scoffed, it did humor him how often William refused to be underestimated. He glanced behind him, it seems like they’ll be the first ones to the terminal.
“Perhaps…once we get to the terminal do you mind assisting me with something?” William raised a brow before noticing the look he was getting, face flushing for a moment; he nodded with a small smirk.
“Of course.” He said before whispering, “did it go away?” Oh yes, the fake headache.
“Yes it did, you do know your way around the human body.” William rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
“I’m a virologist, I know my way around everything on the human body.” He smirked, trailing a finger down Albert’s arm, eyes fluttering innocently. Albert bites his lip, narrowing his eyes.
“I would love to see that in practice Dr. Birkin…” Albert put a single finger under William’s chin, making him stare at him in the eyes. That same cocky look came back on William’s face, raising a brow.
“Perhaps if you behave I’ll show you.” He responded as they reached the terminal, putting down their backpacks.
“You’re my favorite headache to deal with, William,” Albert said, motioning William to follow him to one of the bathrooms. William laughed, not even hesitating to follow.
“Am I that bad that I’m a headache?”
“Not like that…just a headache that won’t ever leave my head, ever.” William smiled fondly, taking appreciation from those words.
“That’s good…I rather not leave so easily.”
“Oh you won’t,” Albert confirmed, getting into a bathroom stall and forcing William in with him, “not even after you die you won’t leave.”
“Please don’t keep my corpse in your bed if I do die before you.” Albert hummed, concerning it is but it was a good idea.
“Oh no, you won’t rot. I can keep your body frozen until I find a proper way to bring you back…maybe with an adapted T virus…”
“Albert please tell me you’re joking or your headaches have caused you to go mad.” William laughed awkwardly as he was lifted and held against the wall. Shaky hands went down Albert’s chest. Albert only chuckled, leaning over to his ear.
“Dearheart…if I told you the truth I would worry you would explode from your own set of morals…which considering not a single one of us is good makes me wonder how you kept it for this long,” Albert whispered, running a hand down William’s side, kissing his neck. “Keep those morals while experimenting and breaking them…how strange you are, William.” William tensed up, gripping his shoulders.
“Someone in this messed up company needs it and if no one else will then I will.” Albert hummed, pulling William into a deep kiss. Such a headache to do that…though you do shine through it…funny.
“It’s going to be the end of you.” He said after pulling away, admiring how the younger man looked against the wall.
“Not that I care…I’m already insane enough for it. At least when I go…” William looked at him, “I’ll be someone’s headache even after death.” Albert chuckled, kissing him again.
“A headache and my cure to it.”
“Forever and always, Al.”