I am your servant // May I light your cigarette?

[viralgod]

[ The chill of the night seeped through the fabric of Wesker's clothes as he stepped out a side door into the dim light of the garden, making him shiver. Winter had come to the Arklay Mountains, and the crisp scent of the year's first snow was in the air. He pulled his black jacket tighter around him as he made his way down one of the paths to a more secluded area. This habit of his was going to be very inconvenient during the coming months.

Wesker had started smoking the same day William had told him he was dating Annette. It helped him deal with the hurt of seeing them together and the stress that caused him. At first there had been issues with the nicotine making him sick, which might have been because he chain smoked for a while, but he'd gotten used to it now. The habit was something he was trying to keep from his coworkers, if only because he didn't want to hear his only friend complaining about how bad it was for his health.

When he was reasonably sure that he was far enough away from doors and windows to avoid being seen, he reached into his jacket pocket and removed a small black box. Hands moving on autopilot, Wesker removed a dark colored cigarette from the box and slipped it between his lips. He cupped his hand around the end of the cigarette to protect the flame of his chrome zippo from the light breeze. As the tip began to glow orange, he placed the box and lighter back in his pocket.

A deep draw followed by a slow exhale of smoke already had him feeling much more relaxed. He was supposed to be back in the lab in a few minutes—they were working late tonight—but he'd really needed the nicotine. He was counting on William being too absorbed in work to notice his absence, or at the very least, to do anything about it. ]

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[viralgod]

The plan is to deal with stress however I can.

[ At least nicotine was reliable. It was there for him whenever he needed it. Even if the delivery method was probably harming him.

Wesker shrugged out of his lab coat, leaving it behind in William's grip as he continued walking. He hadn't been tired when he'd stepped out for a smoke, but he was starting to feel exhausted now. Emotions were such an inconvenience. ]

[retroviridae]

[ William threw the coat on the ground, where it more-or-less blended in seamlessly with the fresh snow. Childish, yes, but he'd never made much of an effort to curb such behaviors. ]

Choose something better! Why should I leave her for someone who lies to me, Al? [ A faint, unstable quaver underscored his voice as he added— ] Why should I be friends with someone who lies to me? Someone who apparently doesn't care if I have to bury him!

[ You know how my mother died. You know how she died, and you're still doing this to me. ]

[viralgod]

[ The slight waver in Will's voice was enough to make Wesker pause, though he didn't look back. He wasn't trying to hurt his friend by doing this, but he hadn't been able to cope on his own. There was no one for him to talk to—no one he could ask for advice. He was on his own.

Albert breathed a heavy sigh. ]

I wanted us to be together, and when you started dating Annette there was no one I could turn to. I've been doing what I've had to do to manage.

[ A beat. ]

If I could rely on you for support, I'd quit.

[retroviridae]

Then quit.

[ What an absurd thing to say. 'If'. As though there had ever been a question as to whether or not Wesker could rely on him for support if he just made it clear there was a problem. ]

I've never been anything but supportive of you.

[viralgod]

You haven't been very supportive tonight, have you? Not once have you so much as tried to understand why I started in the first place.

[ And that hurt. He realized that cancer was something that hit close to home for Will, but it felt like his friend didn't even care about his feelings—only about the cigarettes. ]

[retroviridae]

[ Are you serious?

William narrowed his eyes. ]

You've made it clear why you started. That doesn't make it a valid reason. [ What the fuck does he expect, a That's so romantic? ] You lied to me for months, Albert. About the cigarettes and about—everything else. Forgive me if I'm not thrilled with you at the moment.

[ Annette doesn't lie, he almost said but ultimately didn't. On some level, even through the fog of his anger he understood that was a line not to be crossed. He didn't want to remove the knife, but he didn't want to twist it, either. ]

[viralgod]

[ Wesker bristled at the response. Maybe he should have been honest and just told Will how he felt, but at the time, it had seemed like a bad idea.

Excuse me for not trying to ruin your relationship. ]

It is a valid reason whether you like it or not. I do wish I had told you how I felt, but that doesn't matter now. I'm done with this conversation. Have a good night. And weekend.

[ Because he wasn't sticking around for more of this. Now he was definitely going to the city for the weekend.

When he started toward the dorms yet again, he fully intended to ignore any effort to engage him further. He'd had enough. ]