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Comfortable warmth surrounds Claire as the veil of sleep draws back further and further away from her grasp, making way for the less dreamy real world. Rays of sunlight slither their way into the bedroom of her apartment; their golden glow still weak, but growing as the sun rises higher and higher above the horizon and right onto her face. She groans and attempts to hide in the soft material of the pillow beneath her head, but only manages to rotate her head a few degrees before she is stopped by a slender but muscular arm against her jaw. Only a second passes before she smiles as her sluggish mind quickly places the appendages' origin in her memory.
With her own hand she traces the length of the body part - the skin is soft but cold beneath her fingertips and she tries to breathe warmth into it with a quick kiss - belonging to none other than S.T.A.R.S. Team extraordinaire Jill Valentine: the most badass woman in the whole of Raccoon City - at least if someone were to ask Claire. Jill herself would never agree to such a statement, being too modest for her own good; one of the things that made the redhead fall for her. Her modesty being the perfect counterpart to Claire's rambunctiousness.
After having spent the last few days in perfect isolation from the outside world, they find themselves once more waking up in the bedroom of Claire’s cozy apartment to enjoy the last day of their secret weekend together. Their last day before both have to go back to their normal routine of work and college. Claire’s brain is already starting to run through all the possibilities of what they could partake in today, like sharing a nice breakfast, going for a walk in the park nearby, or simply staying inside and watching a movie, cuddling up on her old couch with the checkered pattern and the fuzzy blanket with the big stain from one of their first dates. Back when Claire accidentally spilled her glass of juice when she got distracted by Jill changing out of her S.T.A.R.S. uniform shirt.
Of course the other woman was a sweetheart about it and helped to clean up the mess, but Claire could not keep her head straight - pun intended - the rest of the evening. But even with the spilled juice, it was a good date in the end.
A second arm tightens its hold around her waist, snaking beneath the front of her sleepshirt to rest against the soft skin of her stomach, slightly grazing against her rips. And the woman behind her takes a deep breath, before she buries her head against the back of her neck, Jill’s lips finding a familiar place against the base of her hairline, tickling the babyhairs with the soft exhales through her nose.
Goosebumps rise along her neck, and Claire chuckles sleepily, leaning into the display of affection, running her thumb over the hand hidden beneath her shirt in return as another kiss falls against her neck. She could stay like this forever, surrounded by warmth and love by one of her favourite people - besides her brother Chris of course. She would never play favourites if someone asked her directly, but it would definitely be Jill, psst.
As heavenly as this moment is, the need to properly greet her girlfriend and to make the most out of their day together grows unbearable and Claire restlessly shifts to turn in the embrace of her love. Jill's arm eases its hold, but doesn't move away, and Claire stretches her legs while she moves, forcing away the sleepy tingles in her feet, before she settles facing the brunette, entangling their legs to be even closer. She leans in to place a kiss against slightly parted lips and then takes a moment to just stare at her beautiful girlfriend.
Tousled hair, a few streaks of sleep wrinkles against her cheek, her eyes still closed hiding away her mesmerizing light blue - almost gray - eyes, but a tiny smile dances across Jill’s lips as her arm tightens its hold around the redhead, and Claire happily falls back into it, burying her face against her girlfriends warm neck.
The brunette happily sighs again as Claire places another kiss - this time to the side of her neck - in a teasing manner. Fuzzy lightness dances around her head as she drifts in and out of bouts of sleep. And then she shrieks awake as one of the redhead's hands snakes its way under the hem of her sleeptop, splayed fingers to cover as much surface as she can manage, and she attempts to shift away from the cold touch - the sudden change in temperature against her skin a strange sensation. “Your hand is cold.” Her voice still feels heavy with sleep, a little low and rumbly, and it creates little swirls of warmth in Claire’'s chest.
But Claire, in return, only hums in amused agreement, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips, and she shifts to prop herself up on her arm to be able to better look at her girlfriend. “That's why I need to warm it up.” Gray eyes struggle to focus through the sleepy haze and she begins to rub soothing circles against Jill’s back with her thumb, almost an apology for teasing her like that.
“Rude.” There is no malice behind her words, just like she knows there is no real malice behind Claire’s actions. And so she simply pulls the redhead back down to be able to bury deep into the perfectly shaped crook of her neck. Now trying to focus on the steady heartbeat and the motion of the touch against her back instead of the - albeit slowly increasing - temperature, Jill closes her eyes again.
Every stroke and every passing second draws her closer, back into the fuzzy realm of sleepiness; it seems Jill is ready to fall back under as her breath evens out once more.
Claire can't help the gentle smile taking her over as she presses the gentlest kiss to Jill’s temple, to not disturb her, ready to follow her back into the land of dreams for at least a little while.
She is unsure how much time passes - maybe seconds, maybe hours - when the sudden low whirring of her phone draws her back out from the soft veil of sleep, and Claire turns to look for the offending piece of technology laying on her bedside table. She sleepily glares in its direction but it doesn't seem to want to stop anytime soon. So she stretches her arm towards it to bring it closer for a better view at the caller ID; swiftly blinking away her foggy view as a familiar name comes into focus.
‘Chris’
The whirring is starting to take over the room, and Claire worries it might rudely reawaken the woman peacefully sleeping beside her. But she can't just hang up her brother's call, he would just get worried and maybe even come over to her apartment to check up on her.
But ignoring it is also out of the question, and Chris seems adamant about getting Claire on the call. Dammit Chris.
Her gaze falls to the sleeping woman next to her; Jill’s brows are already scrunching up in sleepy confusion, and Claire feels the need to protect her girlfriend's otherwise unbothered slumber.
Grumpily she extracts herself from the comfortable embrace, her movements careful not to wake Jill as the slender arm falls away from her waist. She immediately misses the peace and quiet. Once out of the warm bubble of their bed she grabs Jill's S.T.A.R.S. hoodie lying nearby, and rushes out of the room and into the kitchen across the hall. The cool tiles against her bare feet send a shudder through her but she pushes the thought of discomfort to the back of her mind as she pulls the piece of clothing over her head, inhaling the soothing scent of her girlfriend.
Another almost angry sounding vibration reminds her of the phone in her hand, and she finally accepts her brother's call. What could possibly be so important for him to call her so incessant on a sunday morning?
“Hey Chri-” She clears her throat to shake away the leftover sleep in her system. “Hey Chris.”
The deep rumble of her brother's chuckle is the first thing that rings through the phone's speaker. “Good morning to you too, dearest sister.”
Claire must have sounded more annoyed than anticipated, and she groans apologetically. “Sorry.” She runs a hand over her face to will away any leftover sleep. “It's just…do you know how early it is?” It's more of a rhetorical question, better suited instead of straight up asking him what he wanted at this time of the day.
“Um,” He shifts his arm around, probably lifting it to check his watch. “It's a quarter past 10.”
Oh . “...It is?” More time than she thought must have passed since last waking up.
“Yeah, which is why I am calling. I thought I could come over for brunch.-” Claire freezes. “-I am at the bakery just around the corner of your block, and I wanted to ask what you would like to eat.” There are slight rustling sounds and the soft voices of what must be other patrons in the background as Chris seems to take in the offered variety of the bakery before him.
Shit.
Shit shit shit.
“Claire? Hello?”
“Ehm, come over? Now?”
“Are you not home?”
“Oh no, I am.” She slaps her hand to her forehead. Stop talking, Redfield!
“Great, I am thinking the chocolate croissants are looking great. What do you think?”
Claire hums absentmindedly while she glances back across the hall towards the barely closed door of her bedroom, knowing Jill is resting between soft pillows and blankets. She couldn't possibly invite Chris in, knowing the other woman was still sleeping in the next room over. That kind of confrontation was the furthest from her plans for today and she really would like to avoid this situation.
Because Chris doesn't know.
No one knows that Jill and her are in a relationship. Have been for months now after dancing around each other in what probably seemed like just a close friendship to most other people. They both agreed to keep it a secret for now, not necessarily because they thought Chris or others would react badly; though a smidge of fear was still there. Chris was and is a protective brother first and foremost. And Jill had experienced and overheard more than one occasion where the older Redfield had voiced his opinion about potential suitors his sister would meet at college and what he would do to them if they ever treated her wrong.
No, they kept it to themselves because it just felt right at that time. But the longer they are subconsciously trying to keep up this secret the harder it gets to keep up the charade of just being good friends around him.
At least it made sense that they hung out together a lot, with Jill being Chris’ workpartner and best friend. It made sense that both women crossed paths more than once thanks to Chris as their point of common ground.
At least at first.
Claire clears her throat again, tucking a strand of redish hair behind her ear. “Why do you want to come over?” As much as she tries to sound nonchalant, she must have completely failed, because her brother is more than a little taken aback by the question; she blames it on the fact that her brain is still struggling with fully waking up.
“Um, usually the first of the month is my partner-brunch-day with Jill, but since she's out of town I thought I could pay my favourite sister a visit instead.” Dammit, both her and Jill completely forgot about that. “You make it sound like I am not allowed to have brunch with you.”
They had used the lie of Jill being out of town over the weekend as an excuse to spend time together without Chris stealing away either of their time. Both women loved him with all their hearts, but sometimes they just wanted to be alone, knowing they didn't need to worry about someone interrupting their peace and quiet. So if others think Jill wasn't in Raccoon City they would effectively half the chance of being occupied otherwise. In theory that seemed like a great plan. In practice it was obviously more complicated than that, especially if they forget about the monthly partner-brunch-day thingy.
"That's not it! I just wasn't expecting it.”
A sudden pause grows over the speaker. Claire frowns and holds the phone in front of her face to check if the call is still connected, and this time she is the one to call out over the phone. “Chris?”
“You are being really weird about me coming over.” Chris can't completely keep out the subtle authoritative-voice he would use on the field. He knows something is off.
“I promise I am not.”
Another moment of silence stretches between them, and Claire is unsure what to say, tension growing in her bones and she stretches one leg after the other to offer this feeling an outlet.
“Oh my god.”
A shock of fear runs down Claire’s spine. “What?”
“Oh my god. You are having a guy over.”
“What?!”
“That explains so much. You were being all secretive for months, I knew you were hiding something.”
Claire opens her mouth to say something, anything that could deter him from this train of thought, but Chris is quicker. “If this has been going on for months then I think it's time I should meet him.”
“Chris-”
“I am bringing extra croissants."
“Wait, Chris-”
And then he simply hangs up their call, leaving Claire alone with the realisation that in about 15 minutes her brother would be outside of her apartment, expecting to meet some secret boyfriend.
Well, he wasn't completely wrong, just that it wasn't a secret boyfriend but rather a secret girlfriend. One he actually already knew pretty well.
Welp. That could have gone better.
Claire stares at the dark screen of her phone, not quite sure what to do now. She had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to feel like a criminal for. And yet, the longer this whole lie went on the more like a terrible sister she already felt. Should they finally come clean and get this over with?
But she couldn't just decide this on her own, not when there are two people who had a say in this.
A wooden creak and gentle steps appear in the hall behind her. As a sleepy Jill slowly exits the bedroom, one hand rubbing at her eye to will away the sleepiness and the other running through her hair to tame the wild mess. “Claire?”, troting up to her to wrap her in a sleepy hug. "That was Chris?” She buries her face into Claire’s neck, trying to hide from the bright sun streaming in through the window.
“Yeah, he is on his way and he thinks he's gonna find a secret boyfriend." Claire's fingers find the soft material of Jill’s top and she nervously fiddles with some frayed edges, wanting to know how Jill feels about all this before she voices her own thoughts. Maybe it was finally time to tell Chris the truth.
She expected him checking in on her, or telling her about another cute cat he saw on his daily jogs. She did not expect his announcement to come over.
Jill hesitates for a moment, and Claire feels her pause in her arms, already mourning the peaceful morning and day they could have had. "I can leave if you want." And she already shifts in their embrace, ready to leave if Claire would ask her to.
"No!” The redhead is quick to stop her girlfriend from moving away by grabbing her hip between her hands in a desperate grip. “I wanted to enjoy a peaceful weekend with you. Lounge on the couch, watch cheesy movies, and kiss my girlfriend, a lot. And I won't let my brother ruin that." Her brows furrow in conviction as she eases her hold and runs her thumb along the sliver of skin above the line of her boxer shorts, her blue eyes shining with that Redfield-fire Jill has come to know and love.
The older woman chuckles and she smiles as she pulls Claire in by the waist, fingers dipping below the lower hem of her hoodie, searching for warm skin. "Lots of kisses you say?"
Breath hitching and goosebumps raising, Claire hums. “That’s what you take away from this?” She couldn't help but melt into the embrace and under the affectionate gaze of those gray eyes she loves so much.
And Jill just shrugs, fingers continuing to explore the soft expanse of Claire’s back. “It seems like you already made up your mind about Chris coming over.”
“And you are okay with him finding out?”
The fingers below the hoodie pause, and Jill huffs a slow and deep breath. “I…I am still worried. It's basically against the bro code, or something."
"...the what?"
"Bro code. You know, things like not dating your best friend's sister."
Claire blinks her eyes in slight disbelief and confusion. "That's ridiculous."
"He is probably going to punch me for sleeping with you. He could put me in his will only to then disown me for sleeping with you. He might write me up to Wesker for sleeping with you."
"Now you are just being dramatic."
Jill gives her a look. "Remember that time when he threatened to throw this guy into detainment just for asking for your number?"
"Well, he was being a creep. Also, that was just some random guy."
"Exactly, think about what he might do to me. His best friend, who he trusts with his soul not to defile his little sister."
Claire laughs a full and genuine laugh, one that makes her dimpels appear, one Jill falls even deeper in love for. Her hands find their way around the taller woman's neck, playing with the baby hairs at the back of her neck. The brunette slightly relaxes at the soft touch, leaning into it. “First of all, I am not a child anymore, I can take care of myself without him playing overprotective brother. And second of all, if he wants to be worried about someone defiling someone then he should be worried about the other way around, Miss very-first-speeding-ticket.”
The memory still brings joy to the redhead, having somehow managed to convince the usual law-abiding officer to race a little faster on her motorcycle in one of their training sessions, where she immediately received a speeding ticket. Her first and till now only altercation with the law where she was on the receiving end. And Jill very much hopes it stays that way.
Before the brunette can reply to the embarrassing memory, Claire continues. "If anything he should be happy for us, because you are his best friend. Because he should know he can trust you with me."
"Then why haven't we told him already?"
The slender fingers at Jill’s neck stop their movements and Claire shifts to cup her face between her hands to ensure the brunette would be looking at her as her voice takes on a somber note. "Maybe I just wanted to have you to myself a little longer. Without the world meddling in our business."
“So it is decided then? We will tell him?”
“I guess so. You should probably still expect a shovel talk though.”
Jill chuckles, it's still nervous, but it has a lighter note to it than before. “If that is what it takes so I can be with you, then I will endure it. You can make it up to me with all of those kisses you promised.”
The redhead playfully rolls her eyes, but leans in nonetheless for a short but sweet kiss, one Jill happily melts into and transforms into a longer and slower one as her arms tighten around her girlfriends waist to keep her in place. It's what their morning was supposed to be like, lazy kisses in the kitchen as a start into the day, but things just never were easy in Raccoon City, where they?.
Before Claire can fully lean in for one more kiss, they are stopped by the shrill sound of the doorbell. Meaning their time was over.
Chris had arrived.
Jill drops her arms from around Claire’s waist before she presses another gentle kiss to her forehead, her eyes shimmering with affection. “I will wait for your signal.” She turns to go back to the bedroom, with one last look before closing the door behind her, wanting to give the siblings some privacy to talk.
The kitchen suddenly feels way too big and empty without Jill’s warmth. How Claire ever felt at home without the other woman's presence is beyond her, but she hopes this whole thing goes by quickly so that she can go back to spending the day in her girlfriend's arms.
But first things first. She takes a steadying breath and walks up to the door, fingers tensing in the material of her sleeves. She allows herself another moment to gather her composure, straightening her posture and collecting all her bearings, before a knock against the wooden frame urges her to finally open the door.
Here goes nothing .
Beyond the door stands Chris with several bags of baked goods in one hand, and a tray with 3 coffee cups in the other. He is sporting an unusually uncertain look as he shifts from one foot to the other. “Can I come in? This stuff is getting awkward to hold.”
“Right, right. Let me get this.” She grabs the tray out of his hand and he smiles thankfully, trying to hide the way his eyes jump all over the place in an attempt at figuring out who and where this secret visitor might be.
The few steps to the kitchen feel like an eternity and blue eyes dart towards the closed bedroom door as she guides Chris away from the entrance, placing the tray onto the table and then stepping back to stand in the doorway, blocking him from exiting the room.
Chris drops the bags next to the tray and he quickly notices his sister's tense shoulders and how she seems to almost guard the hall behind her. A low sigh escapes him, shrugging off his coat to hang it over the back of his chair. “Listen, I don't mean to make this whole thing uncomfortable.”
Instead of the overprotective brother, Chris is being a weirdly temperate version of himself. “Huh?” To say Claire is confused right about now would be an understatement.
“If you are not ready to introduce me to your boyfriend, then that is okay. At the end of the day I want you to be able to tell me about any special person in your life out of your own accord.”
The redhead shifts where she stands, unsure of what to do. “What changed?”
“Someone gave me some good advice.”
“What? Who?”
“Jill. She said that if this has really been going on for months then it must be serious, and to trust in your judgement. You know how she is, always knows the right words.”
It is taking all of Claire’s strength not to let her jaw hang open in surprise, because what did Chris mean Jill gave him advice about this? “Wh-when-?”
“Just around the time I hung up our call. I could only quickly text her though. But it also got me thinking that maybe…maybe I made you feel like you couldn't trust me with this.”
A lump of something sour appears along her insides, and it feels an awful lot like shame. “Chris…”
The older Redfield crosses the distance between them and places a hand on her shoulder while he shakes his head, not wanting her to feel bad about her own happiness. “I am sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me about this. You have been different these last few months. More at ease. Whoever it is, he seems good for you. This guy must make you really happy.”
The previously shameful lump transforms, his words giving her hope. But something was still keeping it contained. Chris may be surprisingly accepting of this secret partner, but something still didn't sit right with Claire, with there being another part of the truth he should know. She squares her shoulders in the hopes of gaining the needed confidence she feels had immediately drained her body as soon as their conversation started.
“G-girl.”
“Huh?”
“This girl- Woman, actually. She makes me really happy.”
Only a second of confusion - which is then quickly overtaken by understanding - flits across the man's face, nodding his head. “Then I am happy for you.” He smiles, his genuine joy almost blinding.
Overcome with emotions Claire throws her arms around her brother's body in a crushing hug. And he is quick to return the embrace, almost protecting her from the world in his hold. Her hands tighten in his shirt. “Thank you.”
His own hand runs gentle strokes up and down her back, and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head. “No need to thank me. I am your big brother, I will always love you and support you. Unconditionally.”
A flash of Jill’s face plops up in her mind and Claire sniffles a quiet, “...Promise?”
“I promise.” After another moment he clears his throat, pushing down a clump of emotions. “Now, no more sentimentality.” Attempting to hide his own turbulence behind a chuckle as he holds Claire at the shoulders to look at her, proud and happy about her sharing this part of herself with him. He takes her in, his little sister who isn't so little anymore, as she rubs her eyes with the sleeves of her top, and his gaze drops to the familiar insignia on the dark blue hoodie with an embroidered name beneath it.
‘Valentine’
“Huh, no wonder it keeps vanishing. You know you shouldn't just steal Jill’s clothes all the time, those are RCPD property. And if you really want one of your own I can get you one with ‘Redfield’ on it, wouldn’t that be way cooler?”
“This one is already worn in and comfy.” She could hardly just outright say that she periodically kept stealing Jill's clothes because they smelled like her and dampened the yearning for the other woman when they couldn't see each other for a longer period of time.
He just shakes his head in amusement, but doesn't press the matter. He knew his sister could be particular about things. “So, can I meet this mystery woman of yours?”
Claire hesitates once more. The first step of getting Chris to accept a partner, a female one at that, is done, but the second step felt bigger, with him seeming none the wiser about Jill being that mystery woman.
She just needs to do it and get it over with, like a bandaid, right?
“Wait here, okay?”
He nods, keeping his hands by his side and his posture open to prevent him from taking on a more threatening pose. If he was going to meet this important person in Claire’s life, he would try his best to be polite about it.
Claire crosses the few meters to her bedroom door, feeling like she's walking on burning coals, Chris’ inquisitive look following her every step, and lifts her hand for a timid knock against the dark wood. Once, twice. The hard and cool impact a grounding sensation. A second passes before she hears rustling, then soft footsteps and then the high-pitched squeaking of the doorhandle as it is being pushed down.
The angle from the kitchen is just right so that Chris can not see the person beyond the hall, but Claire still places herself in between him and the widening door, blocking his view even more. They share hushed whispers, ones Chris strains his ears to understand but can’t manage to make out fully. A slender hand appears from beyond the door to hold Claire’s face and to wipe away any remaining wetness around her eyes; the redhead leans into it with ease and familiarity like it is the most natural thing to do between them.
And Chris smiles at the soft gesture. This person- this woman, seems to care a lot about his sister, and that's all he could ask for in a partner of hers.
Still, he shifts on his feet, one leg against the other, and back again, and taps his fingers against his pants in an imaginary rhythm, restless and brimming with anticipation as he's dying to meet this woman. Wondering what kind of person she would be. If she is just as chaotic as Claire at times, or if she would be a calming opposite. Either way, he wanted to stay open minded about it.
Finally his sister returns to the kitchen, alone, stopping to lean against a sideboard, keeping her gaze on him. “Please, remember to be nice.”
He chuckles a deep sound. “Of course, why wouldn't I be-” Slowly Jill Valentine appears in the hallway, pausing in the doorway, eyes shifting from Claire to Chris and back again. “-nice?…” The confused look on his face could almost be adorable if it wasn't tied to this whole situation.
The brunette comes to a final halt right next to Claire, close enough so that their shoulders touch, her gaze clear and focused, like she was ready to move out to war.
“Jill? What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town?”
She hesitates before, and then she takes a hold of Claire’s hand, a way to ground herself but also to have something to underline her next words. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make my girlfriend cry, Redfield.” Even if she tries to sound confident, there was still a slight tremor in her voice, one Claire is pretty sure even Chris picked up on. With a thumb the younger woman runs calming lines over the hand holding hers.
And Chris finally understands. “Oh.” It is not a disappointed ‘oh’, but rather an understanding one. Things finally fell into place for him. It made sense, they were always close and somehow this is like the missing piece to a puzzle Chris didn't know he was solving to begin with. And he simply nods with a gentle smile. “I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend for my sister.”
Claire inhales a deep gulp, feeling like she held her breath this whole time out of fear of his reaction. She catches Jill's equally relieved gaze and they share a smile.
Until Chris - he must be in a huggy mood today - pulls Jill into a hug too, one the brunette happily accepts; glad he is accepting her in this new dynamic. It does not last as long as the siblings’ hug, and when he draws back and holds her an arms length away at the shoulders, he proudly looks at her. “But you still lied about being away, so you owe me at least two partner-brunch-days.”
“Deal.” They shake on it, sealing the promise in a way both can respect.
Until…
“Wait,” His face drops into a serious facade. “-you are sleeping with my sister?!”
“Oh oh.” And Jill quickly ducks out of his hold and bolts right back towards the bedroom,
“Get back here, Valentine!” Chris is quick to dash after her, but not quick enough, as the door slams shut right before him, Jill locking the door behind herself. “I just want to talk!”
Their bantering exchange drifts into the background as Claire leans against the table, watching the whole thing, coffee cup between her hands. Taking little sips of the warm liquid and humming into the steamy aroma.
The coffee's soothing nature is almost a worthy adversary to the glowing warmth inside her.
Chris accepts her relationship with Jill. No more sneaking around.
It was all going to be okay.