greenhearteye

The training room was hot, the smell of musk and sweat filling the room as the task force trained. 

Lily, among them. 

Charlie threw a punch, his fist almost connecting with her jaw if she hadn’t blocked it with her wrist, a new sting of pain radiating up her arm. 

Using her wrist to shove him back, she used all the weight in her right arm, throwing a direct punch to Charlie’s nose. “Fuck!” He hissed, grabbing his nose and taking a few steps back.

“Jesus could you try not to break my nose, Wraith?” He hissed, shooting her a dirty look. 

Lily cringed at the call sign, taking a few steps back and wringing out her pained wrist. She still wondered who exactly started that little nickname for her. 

She pushed some of her hair behind her ear, the raven locks damp with sweat. Charlie scowled once more before walking away, unwrapping his fists as he did. He mumbled something under his breath that Lily didn’t hear. Thankfully so. 

“Blackwood.” Lily’s eyes snapped to the direction of her last name, Chris standing by the door of his office. He waved a hand for her to follow him, and she did. 

It wasn’t often that she got called to his office, so it was either something bad or something okay. 

Chris Redfield’s office was as clean as you’d expect to be. A desk, two sofa chairs across from it along with file cabinets and a whiteboard. A pressed uniform hanging in the corner, a nice tall plant and a patterned rug. 

His desk was a chaotic sort of clean, file’s and old papers strewn about, his laptop open and facing him. He sat down, his hand motioning for Lily to follow suit. 

She sat, leaning on her hand. “I didn’t really hit Charlie that hard. He just likes to complain because-“ Chris raised his hand, stopping her from continuing. “Graham is fine.” He mumbled, his tired eyes flicking to his computer before back at her. 

“You’ve been assigned.” He said, making her eyebrows shoot up. “Really?” She said, trying not to make her voice fill with so much excitement. 

“Don’t get over your head about it, you’re accompanying a DSO agent.” He mumbled, sliding over a file. Lily sighed, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “I’m as good as any other soldier here, you know that.” She groaned, leaning her head back against the chair. 

“You know why they don’t trust you. I’d just be glad they’re letting you leave this facility at all.” He sighed, using his finger to push the file slightly closer.

Begrudgingly, Lily took it. 

“You’ll be accompanying Leon S. Kennedy. The DSO has landed on a case they’d like him to investigate, and they requested you to accompany him.” Her brows shot up again at that. “They requested me?” 

She looked at the picture on file. He looked old. Crows feet and slight smile lines, a few grey hairs and eyes of a seasoned, maybe slightly traumatized, man. 

Chris sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You know that you are valuable? Just because your squad members don’t treat you like it doesn’t mean you’re not.” Chris pursed his lips, his eyes moving to the glass window of his office, watching the way Graham, Wilson and Perlman spoke in hushed tones and glanced at his office. 

“They judge me because of…how you recruited me.” Lily noted, closing the file more aggressively than was necessary. Chris nodded, his eyes finding hers. “You’ve all had traumatic experiences, but you’ve never experienced each others.” He spoke gruffly “You’re file is mostly redacted, they only know what you tell them. Which is little to nothing.” He continued.

Lily sighed, leaning against the arm of the chair. “I’m not allowed to tell them anything. By your orders remember?” She said, shooting a tone of venom at Chris. 

He was silent for a moment, before speaking again. “You think they got here easily? Had picture perfect lives? If they had, they wouldn’t be here. They wouldn’t know about Umbrella, or bioweapons.” He spoke directly towards her, making her look down in discomfort. “It wasn’t easy for anyone. They have things they wouldn’t tell each other, or hell, even me.” 

Lily looked to the window, her eyes catching Grahams. He looked away, rolling is eyes and walking off. 

“I know that. It doesn’t make it any easier to get along with them.” She sighed, standing. “May I go?” She asked, grabbing the file and holding it to her hip. 

He pursed his lips, before nodding quickly once and leaning forwards, his hands moving to his keyboard. 

Lily sat on her bunk, her eyes flicking through the thick papers of information on Leon Kennedy. 

He was capable at least. He had little to no losses, at least recorded ones, and extraordinary hand to hand combat and weapon skills. 

At least he wouldn’t be like the weak partners she had been paired with in the past. 

There was a good bit of redacted information, something that made her curious but she moved past it. Best not to dwell on the past. 

Hearing footsteps, she quickly closed the file and shoved it under her thin mattress. 

She smiled lightly when she saw the familiar auburn red hair of Emily as she came around the corner. “Hey Wraith.” She spoke softly. Lily raised a brow, a smirk on her lips “I have a feeling that you’re the one who started that nickname.” Lily smiled, her teeth showing. It was easy talking to Emily, the two bonded the quickest. 

Emily placed a hand on Lily’s arm, moving to stand between her legs. “Finally you get an assignment worth taking, huh?” She mumbled, smiling softly. “Leon and Chris worked well together. Or so I’ve heard.” She mused, giggling as Lily rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah like 20 years ago. They’re both centurions practically.” She sighed, leaning back as Emily rubbed her arm up and down softly. “Will you miss me?” She asked, making sure her voice was low enough for no one else but them to hear. 

Lily pursed her lips, her eyes moving away from Emily’s face. She remembered the countless times they kept each other warm, or satisfied and spent, naked limbs tangled together like twine. 

Casual, they had both agreed. But lately it had felt like Emily wanted to do anything but casual. 

Lily licked her lips, her eyes moving back to meet Emily’s “I thought we were keeping this causal, Berkhoff.” She sighed, her voice nothing above a hoarse whisper. 

“Using my last name now?” Emily scoffed, pulling away from Lily. “Okay Blackwood.” She retorted, running a hand through her hair. “This is casual…what, is it wrong for me to miss the woman I’ve been spending my nights with?” She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Lily rubbed her cheek, her irritation bubbling in her throat like bile.

“Of course you can…you just need to know…this isn’t going to become serious.” She explained, pursing her lips. Emily nodded slowly, her own lips forming into a line. “You tell me that, but have done nothing all month but fuck me and tell me you love me?” She hissed, her voice raising just an octave. 

Lily stood, using her hands to motion ‘shush’. “It’s not like that…it’s just,” Lily sighed, exasperated “When this started we both agreed we weren’t going to make it serious. Ever.” She mumbled, narrowing her eyes. “You were the one who insisted on it at the start too.” She accused, turning her back to Emily. 

She didn’t respond, but Lily heard the soft sniffle she tried to hide. “Well have fun on your fucking assignment then. And maybe do us all a favor and don’t whine about it when you get back.” She spat, turning on her heel and leaving. 

Lily leaned her head back, placing her hands on her hips as she listened to the retreating steps of her comrade. 

She knew all those months ago that they never should have started whatever it was that they had. 

She pulled her thin blanket back, crawling onto her equally as thin mattress. She leaned an arm against her pillow, staring at the ceiling. Of course she would miss Emily, but she knew after what she had been through all those years ago, she couldn’t handle more heartbreak. 

That morning felt stiff, Emily not around to deliver her flirty jokes or her meaningful advice. The suitcase she packed was light, tactical gear along with a first aid kit, some tools that would manage to fly under the radar at the TSA, a few books in case the assignment turned out to be boring. 

Charlie and the others were in the break hall, sipping on their diet sodas and talking about their own assignments. She walked past them, suitcase in tow and satchel over her shoulder. 

She made eye contact with Emily, who didn’t even offer a smile or a nod. Not even a scowl.

Lily pretended not to notice it, but deep down she had been hoping for a smile at least. 

“Don’t let all your partners die this time, Wraith.” Charlie called out, making Lily stop in her tracks. 

Slowly, she turned, her ears already red with irritation. “Watch your mouth Graham.” She spat, the already bubbling irritation and anger of her and Emily’s argument last night mixing into a heady bubble of rage in her stomach. 

He laughed, making her teeth grind together like rocks. 

“Maybe learn to block and your nose wouldn’t be so fucked up.” She retorted, making Charlie’s fragile ego waver at her words. “Maybe stop blocking with your arms and you could hold a gun without shaking, fa-“ Charlie didn’t get the rest of the word out of his mouth before Lily’s fist connected with his jaw, sending him back at least four paces.

He clutched his jaw, his eyes wide in shock as he replayed the moment in his head. 

The two were on the ground quicker than the others could stop them, Charlie punching at Lily’s face. She succeeded in blocking most of the hits, only two of them landing on the side of her head and mouth. 

She managed to kick him off, scrambling to stand as Wilson pulled him back. Lily felt Emily’s hand on her shoulder, and shook it off quickly. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Their captains voice came, cracking the air like a whip. Everyone’s head whipped around, and Charlie looked down, clutching his now bloodied nose. 

Lily felt blood dripping in small increments from her split lip, feeling the burn and ache in her head. “Are you both fucking kidding me?” Chris barked, walking over to the group and staring them down like they were dog shit on his boot. 

“You’re grown adults. Fucking act like it!” He snapped, making Lily purse her lips and Charlie look up at her once before looking back to Chris. “Blackwood, get to your damn plane. Graham, get to the first aid unit and then come see me.” He hissed angrily, before turning on his heel and walking away. 

Grabbing her suitcase, Lily turned and left, ignoring the way Emily’s eyes burned holes into the back of her head as she walked out of the building.

The plane was comfortable at least, plush seats and thankfully tiny bottles of vodka and small picnic sandwiches. Lily peered outside the small window she was sat by, the night sky full of stars and a full moon. 

A man cleared his throat, making Lily peek over out of the corner of her eye. 

“Hey beautiful,” The older man spoke, making Lily almost roll her eyes in annoyance. This was the last thing any woman would want to deal with, much less her. “Traveling alone?” He asked, leaning against the armrest.

Lily breathed hard out of her nose, looking over at him. He was fat, and not the strong fat kind either. Not that she didn’t prefer that, she just didn’t prefer it on creeps. His hair was brown with chunks of patchy white, a pair of small round glasses perched on his nose and burly eyebrows. 

“Yes.” She answered, her lips pulling into a line. Something she did often now. The man beamed, thin lips pulling into an uncomfortable smile. “Well…what are you traveling for sweetheart?” He asked, his voice nasally and full of ill intent. “Work.” Lily snapped, rolling her eyes this time. 

Either the man didn’t notice or didn’t care, but he pressed on regardless. “What do you for wor-“ “I’m a police officer.” Lily responded quickly, before he could even finish his sentence. 

Thankfully, it worked. It wasn’t too far off from the truth, but it worked well enough. The man turned back to his phone, suddenly acting like she didn’t exist. 

She leaned back, nursing a napkin on her now swollen lip, closing her eyes as she mentally prepared herself for her surely boring assignment. 

This will be posted on Ao3 at some point soon, just whenever I get around to it and I will post the link whenever I get the chance. Also sorry for any inaccuracy in any chapters, I’m not 100% familiar with the game lore but I am doing my research!

At this time, you and your girls were in the dressing room, preparing the space for your star's arrival. Somewhere in the background played cheesy love song, making you dance and sing along. Nancy had laid out a comfortable chair and prepared a towel to cover the actor's body while they worked. Alice was already laying out cleansers and skincare products to prep his face and scalp. You, meanwhile, were preparing a makeup palette, a wig net, and modeling wax. You'll be using it a lot. Together, you moved like one well-oiled machine. You were no stranger to this, having already worked on a couple of projects. And what could be a better reward than doing the makeup for one of the villains in the upcoming series? And not just anyone, but Victor Gideon. Oh, if your mom knew, she'd be thrilled and ask for an autograph. That woman loved horror movies, and she especially loved him. Maybe you'll get one in the meantime if he agrees.

"I just feel like he's not listening to me at all," Nancy complained, wiping the dressing room glass out of boredom. "I keep asking him to go out, sending him event posters. And he just nods, staring at his phone!" Her lower lip puckered forward in an adorable pout. Alice nodded sympathetically, patting her on the shoulder. "I think it's easier for you to change your partner than your approach." She clicked her tongue, causing Nancy to throw up her hands. "You can't say that—!"

"Quiet." Your voice called the girls' attention. The room fell silent, and their gazes turned to you. "Discuss your personal lives a few tones lower, we're on the clock." You pointed to your wristwatch for emphasis. "Mr. Gideon should be arriving any minute now, let's try not to scare him off." You finished your speech on a light note, causing their shoulders to relax. And as if you were a prophet, there was a knock on the door. The three of you stood at attention, and you answered loudly. "Come in!"

The door creaked open, allowing a long shadow to slip inside. A man ducked his head to avoid brushing the doorframe and entered. He was impeccably dressed in an olive-green suit and leather shoes, only his waistcoat slightly stretched by his protruding belly. His clothes were pressed and smelled pleasantly of some expensive cologne, which tangled under nose but didn't irritate it. He wore sunglasses, which he quickly removed. "Good morning, ladies, Victor Gideon, I'm most flattered." He introduced himself with a pleasant smile and a bow of his head. You could now see his entire face. His dark, slightly curly hair, graying at the temples, was neatly combed back, and his eyes gave off a playful sparkle in the light. The rectangular shape of his face was softened by the fat around his chin and cheeks, and the wrinkles of his expression added charm to his smile. It was immediately obvious that behind the fearsome body, there was hidden a great soul. "We'd be happy to work with you," you replied with a smile of your own. While your colleagues stared in a shock, clearly making a mental note that, no, the articles about him hadn't exaggerated his height, you continued. "My name is Y/n, and this is Nancy and Alice. We'll be your makeup artists." Breaking out of their stupor, the women quickly nodded and made sounds of agreement. However, Victor didn't even bat an eye or make a cocky comment, even though he could have. After the introductions, the routine had begun. Familiar and mechanical. Nancy's gentle yet confident hands eased the man into the seat, gliding around his shoulders as she tied the towel. Alice's fingers, nimble and firm, applied products to the plains of his face and hair. And finally, you stepped in, transforming you three into one hydra, with one goal: to turn the man into a nightmare. Together with Alice, you sculpted his new skin, adding scars and wrinkles. Nancy secured an ash wig and helped Victor put on contact lenses, making his eyes shine amber. Near the end, you secured the sculpted torso onto him, which had a long scar from his throat to his lower belly and glued golden teeth. Victor didn't even look uncomfortable, clearly accustomed to the process.

While he went to the back of the room to change, the three of you took the visor out of the special case. It was probably one of the most detailed and expensive props, so it was kept with special care. And it was quite heavy... It occupied you so much that only the heavy clatter of leather shoes notified you of Victor's return. You froze as soon as you turned around. The man who came in was unrecognizable, even though you had been working on him for several hours. The air around him was completely different now. Oppressive, coiling like a snake and with a hint of rubbing alcohol. He took the visor from the table with one hand and put it on with a graceful movement as if out of habit. Then he flashed you a grin, his languid voice touching your ears. "How do I look?" In response, he heard a quiet squeal from Nancy and saw Alice's proud smile as she crossed her arms. After exchanging glances with your girls, you voiced it. "Absolutely bewitching."

Pleased with yourselves, the three of you sent Victor to the set. Unfortunately, due to the narrow rooms and halls where the shoot was taking place, you weren't able to see your creation in all its moving glory quite a while. Nancy was about to give up and go on a break, but then the moment you've been waiting for came. With a creek, the door to the room opened, and Grace cautiously entered, lighting her way with a flashlight.  Glancing into the depths of the room, she stepped back with a surprised gasp. A man she didn't know was sitting by the fireplace while classical music from a gramophone was flowing through the room. Thunder and lightning flashed behind the curtained windows before the woman uttered a timid "H-Hello?" There was a pause in the air before the man spoke up. "It hasn't been easy." His head lolled slightly towards her. "But after much effort, here we finally are." The man's mysterious words did not add understanding to the situation. It was as if he wasn't talking to her, but at her. "Who are you?" Grace's voice was demanding, but still shaky. Slowly, the man reached for a visor that sat on the table next to the gramophone. "I'm the one who planted that body." He put it on his head. "I'm the one that brought you here." Listening attentively, the woman watched as the stranger rose to his full, terrifying height. "I know now that you're the one that I've been searching for. The special one. The chosen one." Rounding the chair he was sitting on, the man finally appeared in front of her. "Miss Ashcroft." The lock clicked shut. Grace was trapped. The stranger advanced slowly, like a predator cornering its prey. All her struggles turned out to be meaningless in the face of his power. It was enough for him to just grab her fragile neck and cut off the oxygen. "Shh..." The reassurances he whispered to the unconscious body looked like mockery. The last line was delivered with an almost giddy chuckle. "Rest now, Grace. We have so much to do."

"CUT!"

At the same moment, Victor released the actress and gently set her on her feet. "Is everything okay? I wasn’t too rough?" It was touching to watch the transition from character to actor. How his features softened in genuine concern. Grace shook her head, giving him a smile. "No, no, I'm fine. Your performance was great." While she was taking a sip of the water that was served to her, Victor took off his visor to give his head a break from the weight. "Likewise, dear. You've done a very good job of embodying the horror of the heroine." He praised, causing the woman to blush slightly. "Do you really think so? This is my first big role.… I'm afraid I'm getting lost in your shadow." Victor grinned, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder. The film crew was moving in the background about their business, wrapping up for today. "Don't belittle yourself, Grace. We all started somewhere." The man bent down slightly so that the woman would not have to strain her neck. "You have the makings; I can see that. And after this movie, others will see it too." The ease with which these words came to Victor said a lot about him as a person. There was no vanity or envy of a young colleague in him, only quiet sincerity and honesty. Grace visibly cheered up and said a quiet thank you before leaving.

After filming was over, Victor found his way back to the dressing room, where you were already waiting for him. You could even say lurking. The makeup removal went in the same orderly fashion, but this time livelier. You all discussed the recent filming together, and sometimes you three slipped in compliments for Gideon. To this, he replied calmly and courteously. "I'm flattered." However, the actor was also very fond of giving compliments. He praised both your work speed and your talent for creating an image. "Without you, my dears, my character wouldn't have such charisma." It was immediately clear that it would be a pleasure to work with him. After a short acquaintance, it was confusing why people were so afraid of him. And even more so why they spread rumors. That was probably the price of popularity. Even without the scandals, detractors always gathered around famous people. As if they had nothing else to do, but let's not dwell on it. After makeup removal, Victor returned to comfortable clothes with a sense of relief and went to the exit to get some fresh air and wait for his driver. Nancy and Alice had already left, and you were the last one behind to pack up. A caterer knocked and entered the room. "Hot tea, as you requested." You barely had time to thank her as the woman immediately disappeared. Two cups. No, it's a sin to complain about such luck, but it will be inconvenient for you to take public transport home like that. Throwing on your coat, you hurried out into the cool spring evening. That's when you ran into Victor, who was still waiting for the car to arrive. You thought about it for a moment and, shrugging your shoulders, went over to him. "Do you like ginger with honey?" You asked casually, offering him a cup. The man looked up from the phone and smiled, accepting it. "I do, in fact. Thank you." You both took a sip before you continued. "Don’t mention it, I had an extra one." You waved goodbye to him as you walked out of the studio grounds. "Have a nice evening, Mr. Gideon!" He waved back, "You too. Stay safe!" On that note, you went your separate ways.