Work Text:
Albert Wesker was a man of routines.
He preferred the simplicity of knowing what was going to happen, and when.
He took his lunch at the same time every day, took his breaks on a small rotating schedule, woke and went to bed at the same times as well. All that to say he had his life down to a science.
He was content, and never surprised.
Until you came along.
You were an entirely unpredictable variable.
You had three different morning alarms, went to bed at different times every single night, sometimes you skipped lunch and even dinner entirely, and when you were focused you rarely took breaks unless you were made to.
You were a source of immense frustration to him, and yet he cared deeply for you.
As much as Wesker pretended to be above it all, that he didn't have time for ordinary people, you had managed to worm your way past his seemingly impenetrable emotional walls.
He found himself wanting to be there for you, wanting to make you meals, to make sure you were sleeping. He wanted to know you were in the best possible way at all times.
He wanted to deny himself this, he was to be a god amongst men, he didn’t need this distraction.
He couldn’t stop himself.
His homemade lunches turned into making larger portions so he'd have enough to pack away for you.
He never claimed his gestures though.
He simply left a note with the heating instructions on the container, and a mention to leave the empty container on your desk, rinsed out, at the end of the day.
You always did, as much as he bemoaned your lack of routine and constant flight of ideas, you did listen to instructions very well. It's what initially caught his attention and why he tended to prefer you over the rest of your teammates.
You listened.
As your superior officer, he appreciated that in many situations, and even outside of work, you continued to listen.
He picked up the days empty container, and plucked your return note off the lid.
You'd started doing that recently, leaving little notes for your 'secret admirer', Jill had given you the suggestion.
She knew.
She'd caught him leaving the carefully prepared meal on your desk one morning. He hadn't realized she'd be there so early, but unfortunately for him she wanted to turn in her assigned reports early, and she'd been in his office.
She'd sworn secrecy, but told him he should just tell you how he felt, she knew you'd reciprocate.
He trusted her judgement in most things, but this was something he needed to work towards on his own, so when you began to leave him notes in return he replied.
It felt a bit like a game of 20 questions, you'd ask a simple question and he'd give a reply.
He wanted to see if you could guess who he was.
There were a few simple rules, you couldn't ask for specific details that would immediately give him away, no name, or team related questions.
You's determined very little about your secret admirer because of this. You knew he was older than you, preferred tea to coffee, had blue eyes, and wore glasses.
It wasn't entirely helpful as there were a good few officers who wore glasses, and were older than you.
You'd also learned he wasn't too much older than you, you weren't interested in an insane age gap, and it seemed neither was he.
"You still don't know who it is?" Jill's voice came from beside you.
You jumped, a bit startled by her sudden appearance, "no, no I haven't figured it out yet, we're writing notes now though, and I know a little bit about him, not enough to know anything for sure though."
She nodded, "what if you asked him to meet you somewhere after your shift?"
"I don’t even know what shift he's on, he could be on overnights and that's why I've never seen him," you protested.
Jill rolled her eyes, "well you'll never know unless you try, right?"
You sighed, you knew she was right, she usually was, not that you'd ever admit that to her, so you scribbled the note, including an address and a time.
You gave yourself an hour after your shift to go home, shower and change into something more presentable, and if your mystery man didn't show, well then at least you could take yourself on a dinner date.
"What's got you so distracted?" and there was Chris.
"Our rookie has a secret admirer," of course Barry just had to chime in.
"I've worked here for three years, I'm not a rookie anymore," you corrected.
They both ignored you, " a secret admirer? Do you know who it is?"
"if I knew, they wouldn’t be secret now would they?" you huffed, as much as you loved your teammates, they very easily got on your nerves.
"if you have time to chat mindlessly, you have time to turn your reports in on time," and there was Wesker, saving you from their teasing, and ruining Chris and Barry's fun, "I expect them up to my standards and on my desk before you go home tonight, am I clear?"
Both men nodded and went back to their desks, and you gave a relieved sigh as Wesker returned to his office.
"So you're going to try it right?" Jill asked, her desk was closest to yours so no one would notice the pair of you chatting.
You nodded, showing her the note, it was simple, but why overcomplicate something like this? It would either work or it wouldn’t, and you couldn't stress yourself out about it.
Knowing you shouldn't stress didn't stop you from stressing about it thought. Thankfully you were already ahead with your work because you got absolutely nothing of note done, and you practically rushed out of the building.
The meal container left on your desk, with a very brightly colored sticky note attached to the top.
You weren't the only one who left quickly, it appeared that Jill had convinced the rest of the team to go out after work so they didn't linger either.
This left Wesker, in his office as was usual for him, but since there was no one else around he didn't have to wait to go collect the container on your desk.
There was a note on it, as was beginning to be normal, it was another question, but this one was much more direct than the others.
It was a meeting request.
He should have ignored it, he had reports to finish for Irons, and then trials to run later that evening, but he didn't
He picked it up, reading the message over again.
'Would you want to have dinner with me?' it read, and it included the address to your favorite diner.
It wasn't a fancy place, definitely not what Wesker would have picked for your first date, but once again you broke his routine, and he couldn’t say he hated it.
He was going to go.
You arrived to your own proposed meeting early, but pacing a hole in the floor of your apartment didn't exactly feel productive, so you arrived early and grabbed a seat at your favorite window booth.
It gave you some time to think, to really wonder about who was going to join you.
Did you already know him?
Was he nice?
What if this was just an elaborate prank, made to make you look stupid?
No, no, that was impossible, Jill wouldn’t let you do that to yourself, she would never have pushed you to go if she knew you'd only end up embarrassed.
She was a good friend like that.
"Is this seat taken?" came a voice from above you, a very familiar one too.
"Captain Wesker?" your reply was full of surprise.
He nodded, and gestured to the seat across from you, "of course! Sit down, I'm so sorry."
"There's no need for apologies, I didn't mean to startle you, but you seemed lost in thought."
You nodded, "I was just wondering who would be coming, and I got a bit distracted," you explained sheepishly.
He gave you a small smile, "hopefully I don’t disappoint?"
It was the closest to unsure you'd ever seen the captain, and your heart was absolutely full to bursting with affection.
"Definitely not disappointed at all," you assured him, "just surprised."
He tilted his head as though prompting you to continue, so you did, "I didn't think you liked me very much, you always seem.. annoyed at me."
He blinked in surprise, behind his glasses so of course you missed the gesture, "I used to be," he admitted, "but then I found myself missing the controlled chaos you bring with you."
You shook your head fondly, you weren't actually upset by his honesty, you knew you could be a bit of a whirlwind.
"As I began to pay more attention, I realized how much you care for others, even your.. more idiotic teammates, and how little effort you put into taking care of yourself," he explained further, "I found myself wanting to offer that care for you."
"The lunches?" you prompted.
He nodded, "I left them for you, it was never going to be more than that, but then you began to leave the notes and I couldn't help myself."
You couldn't help but smile, for as cold a front as your captain put up, he really was quite the softy at heart, "I guess I owe Jill a big thank you, and maybe a gift basket,' you said with a fondly exasperated sigh.
"… she caught me leaving your lunch on your desk," he revealed quietly.
"How did she manage that?" you were very clearly surprised.
"She was turning in her incident reports early, earlier than I was there to collect them," he huffed, clearly still embarrassed she'd been able to catch him off guard. Not many people could say they ever had.
"She still kept your secret though," you pointed out.
He seemed to think for a moment before he agreed, "she did, and for that I should also thank her."
"she's the reason I started leaving notes, she said I should try to figure out who it was, and I'm really glad she did."
Wesker tentatively reached across the table, and laid his hand over yours, he was very glad Jill Valentine had decided it was her duty to play matchmaker too, because otherwise he wasn’t sure he'd would have ever allowed himself to ask you on a date otherwise.
As far as first dates go, you aren't sure you've ever had a better one, the conversation flowed easily, and you laughed so much your cheeks were sore. Wesker to his credit seemed to have just as much fun as you did if his own smile was anything to go off of.
All too soon though the night came to an end, as all good things must, "we both have work tomorrow, but if you'll allow me, I'd like to spend a bit more time with you-"
"Walk me home?"
He did, you lived close to the diner, and by extension the precinct. The evening was cool, and comfortable and walking hand in hand with him was taking its place as one of your favorite activities.
Only when you both had made it to the entrance of your apartment building did he let go of your hand, "any requests for tomorrow?" he asked.
You shook your head, "I trust your judgement."
That brought a fond smile to his face, "I will endeavor not to disappoint then."
You rolled your eyes fondly, as if he could.
Leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead, he bid you goodnight, and you watching him walk away until he disappeared around the corner, the you made your way inside.
You had no idea how you were going to manage to fall asleep after that, not with the lingering warmth of his hand wrapped around yours, and the feeling of his lips on your skin.
He'd just have to forgive you if you were tired tomorrow, it was his own fault after all.
He seemed to know you it because when you made it into the station the next morning there was a coffee in a travel mug beside your usual lunch, you couldn't help the giddy little smile that flashed across your features.
He really did know how to take care of you.