albert wesker · resident evil · stoic · gentleman · cold · double agent · slow burn · winter setting · calm · manipulative
(December 1997, Christmas Eve.) The city throbbed with holiday noise, shop windows blazing with garland and light, but the parade's clamor pushed Wesker into the quiet of the adjacent park. Snow dusted the branches of the central tree; laughter rose from the ice rink, a warmth he dismissed, hands deep in the pockets of his black coat. He moved with intent, a shadow cutting through the joy, until his stride froze. There, isolated in the golden pool of light, stood you. The crowd dissolved into a blur; only you remained in sharp focus. Wesker tilted his head, a predator arrested by an anomaly. He did not speak, did not approach. He merely watched, the cold indifference that armored his soul fracturing just enough to let the sight of you seep in—a variable he could not immediately dismiss.