Work Text:
7 A.M.
While it is still early morning, your day already seems to have gone down the drain. First, the hot water in your apartment complex was shut off for maintenance. At five in the morning. After a freezing cold shower, your breakfast was quite the opposite temperature, as the toaster burnt the last piece of bread. Fate seemed to sense how dreary you already were and wanted to make it worse, as everybody in Raccoon City seemed to be out and driving. The drive to the police department that usually takes ten minutes at most, now takes nearly twenty with all the traffic. So much for an early start.
By the time you park and get out of the car, any hope for a good day is washed away, and it clearly shows in your expression. Dead eyes, downturned lips, and still damp hair sticking to the sides of your face.
“Woah, rough morning?”
That voice may as well be the heavens singing with bells tolling since it instantly brightens up your mood. Walking towards you from her car is Jill, one of the S.T.A.R.S. members. She holds a coffee cup in one of her hands, eyebrows raised as she scans you up and down. In any other scenario, that would have sent a shudder down your spine and made your cheeks redden, but it does very little right now. Though it still does make your face turn a light tinge of pink.
Huffing a soft scoff, you shake your head. “You have no idea. Today is not my day.”
“Not to sound rude, but I can kind of tell,” Jill chuckles, walking with you to the building entrance. “I think I looked less tired after finishing a twelve-hour shift.”
“It’s not even that I’m tired, just sick of things going wrong,” you groan. “I think the world hates me today.”
Jill opens the main door, propping it open with her foot and exaggeratedly gesturing for you to enter. “After you, my ray of sunshine.”
Rolling your eyes, you walk into the building, chewing the inside of your cheek to suppress a bashful grin. Any name from Jill with “my” in front of it can make your heart race, no matter how joking it is. God, this work crush can’t get any more pathetic, can it?
“Don’t let it get to you too much, okay?” Jill pipes up again, nudging your shoulder with hers. “It’ll only feel worse if you focus on it, especially if you think the world just hates you. Have a little optimism once in a while.”
“Easy for you to say when you probably got a hot shower this morning.”
Jill grimaces. “Oh, yeah, that’ll do it. A cold shower is a shit way to start your day. Call me next time and maybe I’ll let you use mine.”
With a wink, Jill swiftly turns and walks off, boots thudding against the tile floor. Behind her, you’re left slack-jawed and speechless as you stare at her back, that pink tinge turning darker and dark. That’s definitely one way to turn your morning around.
---
11 A.M.
The morning was slightly better after that. Nothing else really went wrong; not for you, at least. The other officers seemed panicked with some paperwork issue, files going missing or something. It doesn’t involve you, so it is not your problem. And you already have enough problems in the stack of files on your desk.
With your nose buried deep in a file on some mugging, you barely notice another person walk into the west office, striding over to an officer’s desk. It isn’t until that familiar voice rings out that you finally look up, locking eyes with none other than Jill. She’s leaning against the top of a desk on her elbow, other hand propped up on her hip. Her eyes part from yours to look back at the officer she is talking to, mumbling something about a file.
Unable to help yourself, your eyes travel down inch by inch. You really need to thank whoever designed her S.T.A.R.S. uniform, how it fits each curve nicely but still not too snug. That cute little beret is perched perfectly on top of her head, with not a single hair out of place beneath it. Even the bulky cargo pants make your mouth dry, all the way down to those damn boots.
Eyes traveling back up, they widen once you get back to her face, making eye contact once again. You avert your gaze back down to the file in your hands and mentally curse yourself, gnawing on your bottom lip. Out of the corner of your eye, you’re sure that you see Jill smirk, but any evidence of it is gone when you flick your eyes up for a second. By then, she’s already moving to leave the west office, though not without a quick glance over her shoulder.
Jill throws a brief wave and smile at you as she leaves, the door thudding shut behind her as loudly as your heart pounds.
---
1 P.M.
Coffee. The elixir of life.
A sigh leaves your mouth after you swallow a swig of hot coffee, eyes closing in bliss. You set the mug down on the counter, the ceramic clinking in the quiet break room. It’s your first reprieve of the day, aside from lunch an hour ago. There isn’t another soul in the room, which is odd considering that the break room is typically bustling and crowded. There’s always someone coming in and out for coffee or just to kill some time away from their desk.
The peace is broken as the break room door opens, and you can’t help but let out another sigh. Though, any disappointment is washed away when you turn around to see Jill walking in with her own mug.
“Hey there,” she greets, leaning against the counter next to you. “Your day get any better?”
Much better now.
“Yeah, it’s gotten a bit better,” you say before taking another sip of your coffee.
Jill hums in acknowledgement, pouring some coffee into her mug. She takes a long sip, throat moving as she swallows. “That’s good. You looked like hell earlier.”
You snort. “Gee, thanks.”
“You know what I mean. You didn’t look as cheery or all done up like you usually do,” Jill corrects herself, shrugging. “Not that you looked bad, because you never look bad, just not… thrilled, I guess.”
“I never look bad?”
Jill blinks, slowly registering what she’s just said. Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times, a nervous laugh leaving her mouth.
“I mean, no, you don’t ever look bad. You’re, uh,” Jill cuts herself off, free hand rubbing the back of her neck. An uncharacteristic flush coats her cheeks, and you can’t help but smile at the sight and drink it in. “You look nice, all the time.”
She finally finishes her thought, clearing her throat afterwards. Pushing herself off the counter, Jill takes a few steps toward the door. Disappointment floods your chest, though that flush across Jill’s face keeps you from complaining. It’s just too endearing.
“I should head back,” Jill mumbles, offering you a smile. “Someone, uh, Chris is probably looking for me.”
Jill practically rushes out of the break room, desperate to save some face after that awkwardness. You, on the other hand, let your smile grow into a grin, barely hiding it behind your mug as another officer enters the break room. It’s a rare sight to see Jill Valentine flustered, and you’d give a lot to see it again.
---
3 P.M.
A museum turned into a police station. What a joke.
The number of unnecessary stairs and random rooms in the police department should be violation of some policy, especially considering how spread out this already small department is. Just running files up to the S.T.A.R.S. team is a chore, and there are many other things you would rather be doing or could be doing. Except that also means an excuse to see Jill, which makes the chore pretty much worth it.
After too many stairs and mental promises to work out more, you finally make it up to the S.T.A.R.S. office, files in hand. As soon as your coworker had mentioned that they had some files that Redfield needed, you jumped at the opportunity to go up there. There’s rarely a reason for you to, meaning that any opportunity to see Jill is rare as well.
You push open the door, eyes instantly locking onto Jill’s desk, but that familiar brown bob is nowhere to be seen. Her desk chair is empty, coffee mug cold and empty. Your shoulders sag slightly, practically deflating with disappointment. Once you drop the files off with Redfield, you start to make the trek back downstairs, mood lower than it had been before.
So much for that.
---
5 P.M.
There isn’t a single sign of Jill throughout the last couple hours of work. Things continued slowly and monotonously, just reading over forms and going through the motions. The clock strikes the end of your shift, and a small sigh leaves you as you pack up for the day. After tossing your belongings into a bag, you sling the strap over your shoulder and head for the door, shoes thudding against the tile as you enter the lobby.
You wave to the receptionist, politely saying goodbye before you exit out the front doors. Raindrops hit your face as you leave, and you curse under your breath, glaring up at the gloomy sky. Fate has decided to screw you again, apparently, as rain wasn’t one the forecast last night. It’s only a slight drizzle, but just enough to be irritating.
Your shoes splash in the small puddles as you walk to your car, another sigh leaving you. Another pair of footsteps joins yours, though far more hurried. A shout of your name makes you stop in your tracks, turning to see Jill jogging out of the building.
“Hang on!” She stops in front of you, one hand running through her now dampened hair to slick it back out of her face. “Glad I could catch you before you left. You’re speedy.”
“Just want to get home and in bed,” you admit, shrugging with a light chuckle.
Jill chuckles as well, nodding. “I get that. Especially on a day like this with the weather.”
You hum in acknowledgment, and a short silence settles over you two. Your head tilts, waiting for Jill to say whatever she had basically chased you down for. Both of you are still standing in the light rain, steadily getting soaked to the bone. She clears her throat, taking a deep breath as if preparing to dip her head underwater.
“You, uh, doing anything this weekend? Specifically on Saturday night?”
It would be an innocent question, if it weren’t for the fact that Jill is wringing her hands behind her back as an oddly tense smile stretches across her face.
Your pause seems to be just long enough to make Jill panic, and she starts to backpedal. “I’m just curious, that’s all. Just… wondering.”
“No, I’m not busy on Saturday night.”
Jill’s entire face lights up, and she tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. Your eyes flick down to her lips, watching her gnaw on the skin for a second as she mulls over her next questions.
“Would you want to go out to dinner with me?”
“Like… a date?”
“Yeah,” Jill says on an exhale, a physical weight taken off her shoulders now that she has gotten it out. “Like a date, yeah.”
A grin spreads across your face slowly, and it takes everything in you not to just start sprinting laps around the RPD building. You nod, a bit too enthusiastically than you would like, but it makes Jill grin as well.
“I’d love to.”
The pure joy on Jill’s face makes your heart melt into a puddle at the bottom of your ribcage, the warmth seeping throughout your entire chest.
Jill nods in response, her smile not faltering for a second. “Great. I can pick you up at seven, if you’d like?”
“Sure, you got a place in mind already?” Already, you’re mentally flipping through your closet, trying to figure out an outfit that looks good but doesn’t scream desperation.
“I was thinking that one Italian place, the one across the street from the old church?”
Oh god, that’s the one that you’ve mentioned to Jill at least twice now. Any semblance of composure you had is gone by now, heart warmed by the barest of bare minimum listening skills.
Practically bouncing on the heels of your feet, you nod again, feeling like a lovesick teenager in the face of Jill Valentine asking you on a date. “That’s a good place. I’ll see you at seven on Saturday, then.”
When the two of you reluctantly part (just because of the rain) and the door of your car is firmly shut, that fluttering in your stomach has not stopped for a second. An almost disbelieving laugh leaves your mouth, and you pinch your arm to make sure this is real.
Across the parking lot, Jill is doing the same thing, gripping the steering wheel as she commits the interaction to memory. She can’t get your grin out of her head, unable to stop herself from laughing like a maniac alone in her car. She is just as hopeless as you are.