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arklay · 2 years

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48 + diana and albert 👀

48. offering the other your coat + diana x wesker.

words: 4.3k warnings: brief mentions of alcohol and general crime [read on ao3]

The moment she pulled the door to the hotel open, the chilling breeze bit at her exposed skin, hitting her face with more force than she had anticipated and making her stumble slightly, a quiet laugh leaving her lips as she steadied herself. Ridiculous. Diana brushed her hair out of her face before she stepped out into the street, instinctively bringing her hands up in front of her face, rubbing them together and letting her breath provide at least a little warmth to combat the cold.

She thought it would have started to warm up by now, but the night air this time of spring was still as icy as ever, and she cursed herself for leaving her jacket in the car. It had been pleasantly warm at the start of the night, and she hadn’t expected to stay late enough to see such a drop in temperature. At least it’s not raining, she thought. She didn’t need a repeat of the time she’d been up on the hiking trails in the mountains when she got caught in an unexpected shower.

Looking around the street for a moment, Diana sighed then grasped the chain of her clutch at her shoulder, pulling it closer and unintentionally pressing her arm to her chest firmer than she had meant to, as she began heading in the direction of where she’d parked her car. All she wanted was to get back to her warm apartment and fall into bed, away from this breeze and the endless prattle she could still hear, even as muffled as it now was outside of the venue, the faint music drowning out a good sum of it.

“Leaving so soon?”

Of course he would follow her the moment he realised she had fled from that modest ballroom.

Diana turned on her heel to face the source of that familiar voice, which seemed to haunt her as of late. Wesker was standing in front of the doors to the hotel, underneath the black canopy with his hands clasped behind his back and a slight tilt of his head. Those ever-present sunglasses sat atop his nose, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all – wearing sunglasses this long after the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.

But she couldn’t help how her gaze wandered over him, for what felt like the billionth time that night, and she hated him for how appealing he looked in a suit. His jacket was missing and that only pulled her attention towards his forearms with how his shirt’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, like he so often wore them. She cleared her throat as she willed away the rather depraved thought that wormed its way into her mind. Wonder what he looks like out of it.

Instead, she sent a tired smile his way. In all honesty, the last thing she wanted was for someone to warm her bed tonight. “I have to be at the lab early tomorrow, and it’s already quite late.”

Diana didn’t have to tell him that her social battery had been completely drained by only a few hours surrounded by that many people, he would easily be able to see that written all over her for himself. She could sense it in him too, that he wanted to get away from everyone, but he had long since adjusted to a life around others – she didn’t know how he did it. She preferred to be in her lab by herself, or at home by herself, not dealing with the incessant ramblings of such imbeciles.

Wesker hummed as he brought his hands forward to adjust his watch, glancing down at the time. “Not enjoying yourself, my dear?”

That teasing tone she’d grown accustomed to was paired with an arrogant smirk that made her want to pull him in and kiss it right off his lips, but she only laughed then – the lovely sound he would’ve never expected to come from her filling the air, nowhere near as harsh as he had initially thought it would be.

“Tired, more like.” Diana didn’t know when they had both walked closer to one another, meeting halfway between the hotel’s entrance and where she had made it to before he had caught up with her, and they merely lingered in one another’s presence. “I appreciate the invitation though, I will never turn down an opportunity to dress up.”

A low chuckle left his lips, and it was his turn to let his eyes roam over her. The slinky, black dress that ended just above her ankle hugged her small curves and sharp edges perfectly, the neckline showing off her prominent collarbones, and the small slit up the side giving him a good view of those elegant, long legs, free of the tights that typically adorned them. Beautiful.

“Yes, you certainly ‘dress up’ well,” he said, a bit too plainly for her tastes. But what did she expect? Diana liked that Wesker didn’t drool over her, but would it really kill him to give her a more personal compliment for once?

It wasn’t like he was being subtle with his staring, so why not indulge her with what he was really thinking? She had felt his eyes on her all night, sending a pleasant heat rising to her skin everywhere she went, and their eyes had met far too many times for it to be by chance. Even with his own concealed by his shades, she could tell he was looking back at her whenever she scanned the room and her eyes landed on him, and the time she’d held his gaze long enough to be rewarded with a smirk confirmed that.

Much like he was doing right now, but this time she had to look away and avoid his intense stare, instead focusing on her feet as she shifted her weight from one to the other. Was it the cool wind making her feel restless or the fact that she itched to reach out and touch him?

“I’ll walk with you.”

His no-nonsense tone practically told her not to argue with him, that it wasn’t a suggestion up for debate, and that drew a small chuckle from her.

Looking back up to see the barest hint of his eyes behind the tinted lenses, Diana shook her head slightly, her lips pulling up in a teasing smile. “They put all of this together for your little team, and here you are, doing a runner?”

The smirk on his lips only grew at that. “On the contrary, I was simply intrigued by where you were running off to.”

Diana gave an exaggerated hum in mock consideration, before she gestured her arms out at her sides, palms up towards the sky as she turned to fully face him. “Well, you found me. Now go and enjoy the night.”

One of his brows raised above the frames of his glasses, curious at what must have sounded like she was telling him to leave her be. Regardless, he leaned in the slightest bit closer towards her, enough so that she could smell his ridiculously expensive cologne, and that shouldn’t have made her breath catch in her throat.

Wesker lowered his voice as his eyes searched for her own, locking on and making sure he had her attention. “Trying to get rid of me, are you?”

She only rolled her eyes at that, a gesture he had come to find more endearing than irritating as of late. “Yes, because everything’s about you.”

That sarcastic mouth of hers was going to get her in trouble one of these days, but at the moment, he was too tired to care about such insolence. If he didn’t have to stay and entertain his “former” colleagues’ congratulations on his new position, so to speak, then he would probably be doing the exact same thing she was.

Without thinking, Diana wrapped her arms around herself as she shifted on the spot again, then she quickly dropped them back at her sides, a little too late though as Wesker had already noticed the action. His gaze dipped down to wander over her once more, only to see her skin covered in goosebumps, the hairs on her arms standing up on end, and he looked back up at her face just in time to watch her clench her jaw as she turned her head, acting like her attention had been taken by the couple laughing loudly down the street.

“Stay here.”

Before she could even reply to his firm tone – some comment about not taking orders from him – he was gone, and she barely caught the sight of him walking back into the hotel in time when her head snapped to look in his direction. Prick. She looked over at the restaurant nearby, trying to distract herself by reading the large lettering on the menu board out front, until she decided it all sounded rather unappetising, and she sighed to herself.

It was laughable how quickly her mind wandered back to thoughts of Wesker, and she despised him for that. Because of course it was his fault that she was waking up on the odd morning after he had somehow found his way into her dreams, often in rather compromising circumstances. But it was, wasn’t it? Considering what he had the nerve to do tonight. She could still recall the feeling of his hand on her waist when he’d brushed past her earlier, his hot breath on her ear as he thanked her for coming before he vanished, a moment ended in an instant.

Or when she had been minding her own business, sitting off to the side and enjoying the company of only herself and a glass of champagne, when he just had to come over and sit next to her, placing his hand on her thigh where the slit of her dress had exposed her bare skin. Really, she should hate herself for letting him leave it there, not slapping it away like she should have, caught up in enjoying the weight of it a little too much – the possessiveness such a gesture held. It made her sick to her stomach that she wanted more, yearned for his touch.

Diana hadn’t even noticed that Wesker had come back outside, too lost in her thoughts, and she almost jumped when he draped his coat over her shoulders. Always sneaking up on her… She glanced back at him with a small smile as thanks – noticing that he’d put his suit jacket back on – and those dreaded thoughts were begging to be verbalised. Lean in closer, only for a little bit. It was absurd how much she wanted him to press his chest to her back, for him to wrap his arms around her waist and set her nerves ablaze, or maybe she wanted him to place a kiss on the side of her neck. Just one.

When he stepped away, she almost reached out for him, wanting to pull him back in so he would hold her close. The cold night air once again washed over her as the warmth his presence had brought disappeared in an instant, and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut, his coat doing little to comfort her, even if the scent of him clinging to it made her feel oddly giddy.

“Where did you park?” he abruptly asked, his tone back to the annoyingly aloof one she wasn’t much a fan of. He didn’t even tease her for not bringing her own coat in the first place, and she almost let that sour her mood.

Perhaps it was because she was so used to this back and forth that they’d established over the last few months that him being so short with her took her by surprise, but it was a formal event after all, so she supposed he must maintain some level of professionalism. Like he should in your lab? It didn’t stop the sneer that worked its way onto her lips though.

When she didn’t answer after a moment, Wesker sent a curious glance her way, prompting her once more. All that did was make Diana point aimlessly down the street, and she nearly missed the additional glance out of the corner of his eye when he began walking in that direction. If that was concern, he could save it.

He only made it a few steps before realising she wasn’t following him, and he turned around. Dipping his head to look at her over the top of his sunglasses, and with his tone back to its usual smug air, he spoke again. “Or would you prefer my company a little longer?”

That made her scoff, and she wished she didn’t feel the need to grin immediately afterwards. “You wish.” But you do, don’t you? “Just trying to figure out when I accepted your offer.”

Wesker still wasn’t quite accustomed to someone speaking to him in such a manner, despite it being over half a year since he’d met her. He knew she was only joking, judging by the tone of her voice and the small hint of a smile pulling up the corners of her lips, but the fact that she had the gall to even think of denying what he was going out of his way to do for her, out of a genuine concern for her safety, made him fix her with a pointed glare. One that would leave anyone else trembling in fear.

Diana’s arms only came up to wrap around herself, hands clutching the lining of his coat close to her sides as she walked right past him. She tried to focus on the sound of her heels clicking against the sidewalk’s pavement, on the feeling of her dress brushing against her calves, even on the way his coat smelled – anything that wasn’t that awfully handsome smirk that pulled on his lips as she, once again, fled the situation.

He didn’t say anything at her little display, although he found it rather amusing, making any comment she had thrown his way all but forgotten. Then he caught up to her in only a few quick strides.

The sound of his footsteps made Diana groan, rather dramatically at that. “You’re relentless.”

“And you have my coat,” he quipped back.

She glanced over at him and her body just had to betray her. It just had to. A grin spread across her face the moment she caught sight of the rather flirtatious looking smile gracing his lips, and she shook her head slightly. What an arsehole.

“It is rather dangerous to walk these streets at night,” Wesker thought out loud, despite knowing full well that she carried a pocket pistol on her at all times, and that there was actually very little crime in this area.

No, it’s not… Just say it. You want to walk with me. Admit something for once.

Diana probably didn’t notice, but her broad smile had turned rather soft, and he chose to ignore it, alongside the strange look in her eyes. That is, until she spoke next.

“Perhaps I should run instead.”

Wesker actually snorted at that and a loud laugh left her lips, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes flitted down to her feet for a second before they met his own again. Only for a moment. Then she focused her attention back on the street in front of them. She had never heard that noise from him before, and it was probably the only time she ever would, but it was the closest thing she’d heard to a real laugh from him and she was going to hold onto that.

They fell into step beside one another, unintentionally slowing their pace as they enjoyed the closeness between them, whether that was the long stretches of comfortable silence or the times Diana actually started gossiping about some of the guests at the ceremony thrown for his task force’s inauguration, and he chuckled and nodded along at a few of her comments. It was too easy for her to be comfortable around him, and the way their shoulders kept occasionally brushing together didn’t help. She hoped he didn’t notice that – even though he most certainly did – or the way she’d pull back whenever it stirred that odd flutter in her stomach.

The chilling breeze was almost welcome with the way her cheeks were feeling far too warm, needing a distraction of some sorts. Any physical contact with him since she started having those rather lewd dreams made her blush like some… hormonal adolescent, and it was making it increasingly difficult to not lay it all out on the table for him, to actually let herself indulge in such things for the first time in years. It was infuriating. Diana was going to choose to blame the suit for this and not the fact that they spent far too much time with each other.

“He is rather obnoxious when he drinks, isn’t he?” Wesker considered with a small chuckle at her mention of his old friend’s antics. It wasn’t like William had done anything that bad, other than misspeaking and foregoing formalities with the mayor of all people.

“Please, it is entertaining watching him make a fool of himself,” she countered, and she almost couldn’t believe her eyes as that smirk on his lips threatened to pull into a genuine grin. So close.

“Embarrassing,” he corrected her.

“Aw.” Diana leaned in closer and placed her forearm up on his shoulder before her other hand gripped his chin, his coat threatening to fall off her shoulders at the sudden movement. “Are you worried what people must think of you for associating with him?”

The glare he sent her way made her smile, perhaps a little too wickedly, and she only held his gaze, challenging him like she so often did. If he thought he could intimidate her, he was sorely mistaken. You’re not that scary, big boy.

Her grip on his chin lessened and she slowly ran the tip of her forefinger across his jaw, towards the sharp angle, all while she never tore her eyes from his. It probably made for an odd sight for any passersby – the two of them standing in the middle of the sidewalk, easily blocking the path if someone needed to walk past them – but that didn't faze her. She actually let herself get quite lost in the motion of drawing an imaginary line over his skin.

Wesker’s eyes narrowed as he watched her, ignoring the rather refreshing feeling of her cold hand on his face. The way her features had softened fascinated him, captivated him even, and the rather bothersome urge to kiss her crept into his mind. It wasn’t like there was anyone around who could interrupt them like the last couple of times they’d found themselves in this position, but he held himself back, shoving the thought aside to where it belonged.

“And you are irritating,” he whispered.

The small smile that graced her lips was not what he was expecting. He thought his tone had been stern enough to get her to stop acting in such a way, but he supposed that was wishful thinking. However, she did let go of his jaw and lowered the arm from off his shoulder, hugging his coat around herself once more.

Diana tried not to laugh to herself when they began walking again. The slight shock she’d seen in his eyes when she’d teased him was reward enough for her, even if she had hoped he would push her up against the nearest wall. Can’t have everything.

The rest of the walk to her car went by far too slow, the two of them remaining silent, and she found herself wishing to reach for his hand at one point. What was wrong with her? She had barely had anything to drink during the night, but that was the only logical explanation for such thoughts.

When their agonising journey came to its end, Diana brought her clutch forward and unclasped it to pull her keys out, trying to hide the deep breath she took by keeping her back to Wesker. It was easier to chastise herself for her ridiculous thoughts when she wasn’t looking at him, but really, it’s not like it was anything new. Wanting contact with him, that is. It was just the fact that holding hands seemed too… intimate? And yet, look at the dreams she was having every now and again. You’re a right moron, Diana.

She quickly unlocked her car door and pulled it open, slipping the chain of her clutch off her shoulder before placing the small bag on her seat. She supposed she had to give him his coat back, though it would be nice to take his scent with her when they parted. Another foolish thought.

Wesker only watched her, curious at the way she had gone quiet after her little stunt. He knew she didn’t regret her actions, but he wondered why she seemed more distracted than usual. He could still feel her touch on his chin and along his jaw, the light tingling it had left on his skin nagging him to chase her for more. But he didn’t move to close the distance. Diana seemed far too focused on shrugging his coat off her shoulders and folding it neatly over her arm, taking care to not let so much as the hem brush across the floor, and that amused him more than it probably should have.

He took his coat from her when she handed it to him with a small smile, one he returned, but what he didn’t expect was for her to lean closer to place a quick peck on his lips. He shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that she could catch him off guard anymore, but he wasn’t used to such a casual display of affection, or perhaps it was merely a thanks for the coat. Or for walking with her. Maybe both.

Diana still stood close, observing his reaction, and his eyes met her own, the curiosity in them only serving to encourage her further. She brought a hand up to his cheek, his warm skin a small comfort to her fingers for how cold the rest of her now was, arms and back exposed to the cool night air once more. Then she leaned in again, actually capturing his lips in a small, gentle kiss this time. She had almost forgotten how soft they were.

One of his hands came forward to rest on the side of her waist as the other hand was busy moving his coat away from the space between them, and Diana revelled in the weight of it over her dress, but not as much as when he reciprocated the kiss.

Leaning closer, Wesker took her bottom lip between his own, far more delicately than she had expected, and she all but melted against him, her fingers splaying on his cheek ever so slightly.

He tilted his head a little more as his lips moved slowly against her own, and that flutter in her stomach was back, accompanied by the feeling of her heart trying to break its way out from under her rib cage. She almost couldn’t believe how gentle he was – that he wasn’t trying to dominate the kiss like she thought he would. There was no hunger for more, but no hurry to break away either, only their breaths mingling with each part of their lips.

She pulled back after another moment, lips still in a pout as she lingered in his space, and they just looked into each other’s eyes, separated by that ridiculous barrier that wouldn’t let her see those icy blues as clearly as she wanted to. Her eyes flitted down to his lips again when the thought of whether he’d be opposed to her pressing her own to them once more worked its way into her mind. She decided against it, but neither of them moved to part.

Then he had to ruin the moment.

“My dear, you are quite bold.” His hot breath on her lips distracted her for a second, until she realised what he was saying. “Kissing me where anyone could see us.”

Diana tried not to laugh at that, her lips threatening to pull into another grin. “Is that a crime, captain?”

He scoffed, so loud that it was almost harsh to her ears, as he pulled away from her, and she let out a quiet chuckle. His hand fell from her side, the last brush of his thumb as it did almost making the fabric of her dress tickle her skin, but the loss of it against her had her feeling the same way she had earlier that night, the pit in her stomach returning as she longed for him to touch her again.

Wesker should have known she would use his new title against him at some point, and he had no doubt that he would hear it again in the future with her teasing, but he didn’t mind as much as he let on.

Glancing down at his watch, he realised just how long it had been since they left the hotel, a walk that shouldn’t have taken nearly as much time as it did, and he sighed at the thought of the questions he would get asked about his whereabouts the moment he walked back into that ballroom. But he had to get back.

With a polite nod of his head, he sent a small smile her way. “Goodnight, Diana.”

He folded his coat neatly over his forearm as he turned on his heel, despite how he would prefer to stay out here in the cold with her rather than head back to that dreadful event, and he almost missed the way Diana whispered behind him.

“Goodnight, Wesker.”

#thank you so much hilary!! ily 💖 i'm sorry this is so long... i'm once again on my behaviour #setting: april 1996. a few weeks before a certain something happens but they have been going on those weird definitely not dates for a #while... 4 and a bit months to be exact... // i'm very normal over this whole situation i swear. like i know the obvious option was to #write something with his iconic coat from 5 but consider this: early ewskers relationship momence. i just had a thought and had to do it #okay? there are many things to be said here about diana being a clown and such. like her confusing what she's feeling as only being lust #oughgh but they both don't even realise that somewhere along the line they became friends... idk dude that just. augh. also that little #kinda pet name (not the title)... the only time she ever ends up calling him that is on occasion when they're being nasty lmao #oc: diana #pair: ewskers #writing.#asks.#faarkas

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