Chapter Text
To say you were “married” to Oswald E. Spencer wouldn’t be accurate. It was literally true, as in, on paper you were married, but you weren’t close. Not even a little. He barely knew your name and you his. It was for the money. The power. Your family benefited from the marriage monetarily and materialistically and he benefited from having more lackeys that were loyal to him and willing to do… unsavory work in exchange for more boons in his name.
You did work in Umbrella but not for the money or for the power. No, you naive little fool, you actually wanted to make a difference in the world. Not make a name for yourself, not to become rich, not to become immortal. No, you merely wanted to make the world a better place. Whether it be from creating vaccines for known diseases or aiding in the creation of medicines that would help pre-existing ailments, you wanted to help. It was admirable but Albert couldn’t help but to shake his head and sigh.
What to do with you…
It was surprising to learn you knew nothing of the front that was Umbrella; nothing of the many, many bio-weapons they have created, that have been implemented and used - simply nothing. Concerns about security were brought up surrounding your joining of the company. What if you leak their secrets?! Concerns were brushed aside. “She won’t be an issue.” Spencer would say.
And he was right. You were never an issue.
Albert remembers the first day he met you. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for work, ready to make friendly with your coworkers. Everyone thought you were a spy planted by Spencer to monitor them. Albert knew right away you weren’t. It was the way you carried yourself, the way your eyes looked… You seemed to want genuine connection. It shouldn’t have been found there but…
He couldn’t help himself…
“A-Ah! You’re Albert Wesker?! THE Albert Wesker?!” The colour rushed to your face as you scrambled to appear somewhat professional. You patted down your white coat and smoothed down your hair. Suppressing a giggle, you offered your hand, though you did so with an air of uncertainty.
“I-It’s so nice to meet you! I-I mean-! It’s a pleasure! A-A… an honour?” The excitement was washed out by the mortification that crossed your face. A spy? You must be a phenomenal actress. Wesker took your hand, giving it a curt shake. Your hand was completely engulfed by his own. He noted how your fingers trembled and twitched as embarrassment swiftly turned back into excitement.
“The pleasure is mine. You are Mrs. Spencer, correct?” It somehow left a sour taste in his mouth. It was more than… what? Strange? Unbelievable? Infuriating that such a young, bright and seemingly decent person was tied to, perhaps, the most selfish, egotistical and simply evil human being on the face of the planet. Perhaps you’ll prove him wrong, though. Perhaps-
You scrunched up your nose. Something akin to disgust crinkles your forehead.
“Ah- Please, no need for… that. You can use my first name if you like! …or my maiden name…” Your voice fell flat, trailing off as you realized that was, most definitely, not an appropriate thing to say to one, a new coworker that you just met, two, the Albert Wesker, and three, a member of Umbrella, where you’re “husband” may or may not find out you said such a thing. Maybe he wouldn’t care, though. A feeling sours your stomach.
Maybe you are more bothered by this arranged marriage than you first thought…
You weren’t as subtle as you had hoped. Behind Albert’s sunglasses, his eyes narrowed. Did you really try to hide your disgust? No… you aren’t sure if you even could. He made a note of it, but chose not to bring any attention to it. There was no need to. Not at the moment, anyway. This could be useful for him later.
No love for Spencer, hmm?
“Of course. Anything you please.”
It took less than a week for Albert to know, with utmost certainty, that you were not a spy sent by Spencer. Or by another rival company, even another country. No prying questions, no overachieving in very, very specific areas, no rubbing shoulders with the higher ups, nothing. Albert would have been disappointed if he wasn’t so intrigued by you.
Having someone that genuinely wanted to make the world a better place was unusual. Rare, even. It was something that he could respect. You applied yourself in your field, you worked hard and the results you produced reflected your work ethic. Staying late was usual for you, something that Albert, himself, did often. Normally, he wouldn’t fraternize with his coworkers much at all, certainly not as he pulled in overtime. But you?
He certainly enjoyed your company.
You were unlike anyone inside this godforsaken company. The cut-throat politics that dominated the work culture weren’t something that you could survive without intervention. Certainly not if you were anyone other than his wife. Your overachiever results pissed off many, many people. People that no lowly virologist would ever dream of crossing, not in their worst nightmares. You did this daily. Hourly, even. And you did it with a smile on your face and with the cluelessness of a child left to fend for themselves in the wild. It would be easy to manipulate you and your work….
Albert couldn’t stand to see anyone else do just that.
He rubbed shoulders with some truly abhorrent people. You were not one of them. The opposite, in fact, he couldn’t- wouldn’t- stop the feelings he had towards you from developing into a permanent fixture in his daily life. If it doesn’t affect your work, then let it be. That’s what Albert always told himself. If it, or you, were to become a problem, then he would deal with it. “Dealing” with you slowly began to twist from “cutting you out” and quickly became “guard you at all costs”.
It certainly wasn’t a terrible change for him.
You grew tired. Work was draining you more than you realized… All the long nights and contending with the work culture were finally getting to you. Whenever you felt like you were drowning in your work Albert was always there to pull you out of the deep end. You felt guilty, genuinely you did! You shouldn’t have to rely on him… but he always dismisses your apologies.
“Don’t apologize. Perhaps you should leave early tonight and get some rest. Pushing yourself until exhaustion isn’t healthy.” Albert knowingly made a habit of this. It’s bad for our bottom line. You can only produce good results if you are well rested. Excuses were easy to make and even easier to execute. He didn’t want to scare you away. Rather, he wanted to bring you in closer…
The times you would leave early, or rather, leave on time, were rare indeed. You stayed most nights, long until the morning. You would occasionally nap in the breakroom, or even on the floor of whatever area you were working in. The first time, Albert let it slide. The fifth time he caught you, though, he called you out.
“What are you doing?”
You jolted awake. No, not awake, per se. You weren’t quite asleep, but not awake, either. You felt your heart jump up between your ears, throbbing and pounding so loud you can’t string together a coherent thought. Shame burned your cheeks and made you trip on your own tongue.
“I- uh, I jus- um…” You had a deer in the headlights look.
What were you supposed to say?
You didn’t want to go “home”. No, it wasn’t a home. Not your home. It was cold, unwelcoming, totally vapid and too damn big for even the largest family fit to burst. You wished you had something that was your own… just something small. A studio apartment! Anything other than that empty shell of a place… For all the money Spencer had, he didn’t really care about what you wanted. You had a roof over your head and you wouldn’t dare speak up to him, of all people…
Out of all of your coworkers, having Albert Wesker be the one to find you in such a sorry state stung. What would he think of you now? He was, perhaps, the last person you wanted to see at this moment in time. All you could do was get up and try to look presentable. Wave off his concerns. Don’t trouble him with your personal problems… You have already overstepped your boundaries with him many, many times…
“Why are you laying on the floor?” You cringed. Albert was always curt and to the point when talking to anyone, even you. No matter how much you searched his face, you couldn’t read his expression. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling at any given moment, let alone now, of all times…
“Has something happened? Are you alright?” Immediately you noticed the tone of his voice shifted ever so slightly. It wasn’t as cutting. Not harsh, but softer. Instead of standing straight and stiff, he leans against the wall, a slight frown on his face. You were already on the cusp of breaking. Now, though? Now you can’t stop the tears from wetting your eyes.
“I- N-No… It’s not-” What were you supposed to say? The lack of care and intimacy in your life was eating you alive. You couldn’t tell him this!
Could you?
“No, it’s alright. You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m sorry, I can’t help but to worry, seeing you here so late all the time.” His frown deepened. Albert had stopped hiding his care for you long ago. Now more than ever he needs it to be known to you.
You didn’t hide it as well as you would have liked. You were desperate for human interaction. Validation. A connection of any kind. Others in the company have tried to use this desperation to their own ends, tried to steal your work and all credit that was yours and yours alone. Albert rebuffed their claims, though he would never tell you this.
You weren’t fit to work in this place. In this world. No, you deserved far better. He itched to give you more, to see you smile genuinely, laugh in the way you do when you tell your unfunny jokes- Albert wanted to see more-
“Do you want to go home? I could take you.” It left a sour taste in his mouth. No, he didn’t want you there. He can’t protect you when you are in the lion’s den. Alone, without him at your side. He felt immediate relief when you shook your head.
“N-No! I, um, n-no… I’m fine here…” No, you weren’t fine. You couldn’t hide it from him no matter how hard you tried.
You were tired. Every joint in your body ached from so many long nights laying on the hard floor, with only your lab coat as an impromptu blanket. You were slowly starting to resent this job and most of the people that you had to see every day. You are certainly naive, but you aren’t stupid. You know nearly all of your coworkers couldn’t stand you and that the only thing they wanted from you was the work you did. Of all of the people you saw on a daily basis, of everyone that you talked to, forced a smile at, laughed at their dumb, insensitive jokes, there was only one that seemed to show you any measure of genuine care.
Albert…
A few stray tears leaked from your eyes. It was embarrassing! Albert was already offering you a tissue. You accepted with your head hanging low.
“Whatever your reasonings are, if you don’t wish to return home, you are always welcome at mine.” You raise your head, surprised. Welcome to his home? It made you strangely anxious, though not in a bad way.
“Dunno… just tired…” You barely spoke above a whisper, from the fear of breaking into hysterical sobs. You jumped when you felt his hand on your shoulder. When did you move so close? It was nice, though… You focused on not having a full blown meltdown and the comforting hand on your shoulder that gave you a slight squeeze.
In the end, you took Albert up on his offer of staying the night at his house. Just for a few hours, really… is what you said. You couldn’t really think, though. You didn’t want to stay there and you certainly wouldn’t return “home”.
The drive was short and Albert remained mostly silent. There wasn’t much to say and you were relieved he wasn’t worrying over you so much. Hungry? Thirsty? No, just some water, you had said. You swore the couch was fine but he insisted you take the bed. You took it reluctantly. It was weird being in someone else’s home, in their bed as they took the couch.
Another man’s home.
You couldn’t dwell on it. You were exhausted and sleeping in an actual bed was so, so wonderful… Sleep came easier than it had for a long time. Since you were married, actually. Even though this is the first time you’ve done something like this, you felt safe. Albert made you feel safe. Safer than you’ve felt in a long time…
Yes, it was surreal having you in his home, asleep in his bed. No worry, no stress, totally and blissfully unaware and vulnerable right there, mere inches away. You scrunched up your nose as he brushed a few stray locks away from your face. Adorable… This is what he was wanting to see. You deserve to feel this more often. Forever, even. Safety and comfort. Warmth. Love… Albert vows to make this want into a reality. You deserve no less and so much more…