Neither of them spoke about what they were- even though it was clear that the dynamic had shifted between them since they left Raccoon City. But one thing was for sure, however, the pair didn't seemed bothered by it. In fact, it just seemed natural. And maybe it wasn't healthy for them to not talk about it, but they had been through something very traumatic together, and this was just their way of coping. Everyone had their own way, that was for sure. For Jill and Carlos, they had each other. It had been a few months since the destruction of the now infamous mid-western city, and the survivors had begun life again to the best of their abilities. The former S.T.A.R.S. member had her own place and was tirelessly working to put Umbrella in its place which, assuredly, was six feet under. Carlos stayed by her side, helping get any information he possibly could, which he didn't have to do. Jill even urged him to leave and never look back; that she would only get him killed in the end. But did he listen? No. The brunette respected him for it, and it only broadened the feelings she already had for the former mercenary. He lived close by- though he practically lived at her apartment most days.

Carlos had been given a copy of the key to Jill's place relatively early on. It was a no-brainer really, considering the pair were essentially a couple, but never actually said the words. Perhaps it was the fact that they lived in fear of good things coming to an end. So, they just acted on what felt right, no questions asked. It was beginning to drive him crazy, though. He wanted Jill to know that he was here to stay. He had no intentions of leaving, but he had every intention on marrying her one day. Sure, that might sound like he was jumping to conclusions, but he had been in a life or death experience. Carpe diem had become a part of his every day existence now, practically etched in his memory. So, he'd do what he could for her. Making late drive-thru runs because Jill forgot to eat? Yep. (Eventually, though, it just became a habit of asking her whether she ate or not). Carlos would even sacrifice sleep for his girl. There would be many a night where she would be plagued with nightmares. His body had become attuned with hers, waking up when he sensed that something wasn't right. He never woke her up unless it got really bad. Usually, all it took was for him to pull her close against his chest, and she'd calm down.

One particular day, he let himself in with a plan up his sleeve. Jill had let it slip before that she loved to cook, but ever since this whole mess with Umbrella started, she lost the thrill in a lot of things she once loved. Her old apartment in Raccoon had been covered in takeout containers, because that was all she ate after a while, other than the few times she tried to cook herself, but her plan just fell through the cracks. Carlos, on the other hand, also loved to cook, and he was damn good at it. So, he devised a plan. Before coming over to see the brunette, he stopped at the local grocery store and stocked up on a few things he would need. The pair had parted ways that morning under the guise that Carlos had some errands to run, but he'd be back later to see her. And he had done just that, grabbing his apron that of course read 'Kiss the Cook'. Jill had only heard about his trusty apron, never once seeing him wear it... until today, that was.

She sat at her desk with her back to the door, chin propped up in the palm of one hand while the other flipped through a mile-high stack of papers. Her blue eyes were dull with lack of sleep, if the dark circles under her eyes and her fourth cup of coffee didn't quite tell the whole tale. A heavy sigh emitted from her lips before she reached over to take a slug at her now lukewarm coffee. Jill made a face as the liquid went down her throat, deciding that she really needed to get up and reheat her drink. Bare feet hit the floor as she made her way to the kitchen. Hell, she probably looked like a zombie as much as she felt like one. The brunette popped her mug in the microwave and hit the 30 sec button, pressing her back against the counter as she waited for it to beep. As soon as she turned around to get her beverage, she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on its own, even though she recognized the voice that called out to her.

"I'm back, and hope you're hungry," Carlos chuckled heartily, placing several grocery bags on the counters. Though she did her best to school her expression, he caught it, and instantly felt like an idiot. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It's fine," the brunette murmured, waving her hand dismissively, "even if you gave me a heads up, I still had my back to the door. Would've startled me either way," she assured Carlos, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. The mush of a man had to take a moment to recover at Jill's gentle touch, but he kept a smile on his face as he started to unbag the groceries. "What's all of this for?" she finally asked, noting that in front of them were all of the ingredients for spaghetti.

Carlos decided to turn on the charm, as he did know how to do fairly well and took Jill by the waist, guiding her a little closer. "I," he started, gaze locking on hers, "decided to be the world's best boyfriend and make my hard workin' woman something for dinner." He was simply testing the waters on this, never having the gall to call them anything. But... he was feeling particularly brave. Maybe it was the apron he had on. (Even though she couldn't quite see it yet, as he hadn't taken off his jacket yet).

Jill was silent for a moment, admittedly taking all of that in. But after a moment (the world's longest moment ever, according to Carlos' accelerated anxiety), a faint smile stretched across her lips. One of her hands reached up to cup his face, her thumb stroking at his beard some. "Oh, good. I was worried I was going to have to ask you out myself," she teased, pulling him closer for a drawn out kiss.

As they pulled away a bit, the shaggy-haired man wore a rather goofy grin on his face, "you know, you haven't even seen my apron yet," he winked at her, pulling the zipper all the way down, proudly showing off the army-green colored apron he wore underneath his jacket. The brunette snickered at the sight of it, heading back to the microwave to finally get her coffee.

"How cute," she told him, taking a sip of the now much-warmer beverage.

Carlos frowned as he watched her drink at her coffee, their little banter quickly forgotten about. "Hey, how much of that have you had versus actual sleep?" He gave her a stern look, large arms crossing his chest.

Rolling her eyes, Jill affixed him with an unamused stare. She knew that he was only worried about her, but she really didn't have the time for rest. Hell, she barely had the time for any romance in her life, but she figured that she might as well have some enjoyment when everything else was just all work and no play. "I'll nap later, okay? I've got too much going on right now." Just as the brunette was about to turn and leave, her boyfriend caught her by the elbow, reprimanding sounds passing through his lips.

"Not right now, you don't," he told her, hand slipping from her elbow to take her hand in his own. "When's the last time you took the time to do something you enjoy, like cooking?" Carlos' voice was soft as his eyes guarded her carefully.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she took his question into consideration. "I dunno. Not since the outbreak. Wh-"

"Exactly. Tonight, you're taking off work. No phone calls, no paper work, no brooding," Carlos leaned down and placed a kiss on Jill's nose, arms wrapping around her frame once more. "You and I are gonna cook one fine ass meal. And then... we're going to rent a movie and maybe getting around to watching it," the grin on his face spoke volumes about what he meant by that.

Jill sighed, realizing by now that she wasn't going to win any argument with Carlos about her workload. "Fine. But tomorrow I really need to work on this report for Chris."

"We'll negotiate."

"Carlos!" She replied, exasperated.

"Yes?"

"You're exhausting," the brunette told him, sending over her best glare.

"So I've been told," he fixed her another grin before releasing his hold on her hand. "C'mon, this food can't cook itself."

o-o-o

It still baffled Jill any time she looked back on the past few months that she and Carlos had known each other. She was cold towards him and rejected any of his advances towards her at first. He could have given up on her any time, and things would be completely different between them. They were bonded with one another tenfold. Though she'd rather keep this fact to herself, the brunette sleeps so much better with her other half around, than by herself. There was something about his presence. His warmth in the middle of the night. She caught herself mirroring a cat several times during the night when he slept over. She'd wake up closer and closer to Carlos, like she was seeking his warmth, similar to how cats are. He never seemed to mind. In fact, he seemed to like having her close. There would be times during the night that the brunette would wake up in his arms with no recollection of inching closer like she would do. Jill had gotten so used to it that she was always just a little disheartened when she remembered that he didn't actually live here. He had to go home eventually.

But tonight definitely wasn't one of those nights. The pair had cooked up a massive amount of spaghetti and meatsauce, no doubt having enough left over for several days. One bottle of wine and two cheesy horror movies later, Jill was starting to fall asleep on Carlos. She was already cuddled against his chest, so the warmth was there.

"You're not going home tonight, are you?" The brunette asked, peering up at her boyfriend.

He chuckled a bit at how pitiful she looked. Beautiful too, he couldn't lie. There was a redness prominent in her cheeks as a result of a combination of a lack of sleep, and the wine. "Nah, I'm not going anywhere, supercop," he spared her a tiny grin, noticing the relief spread across her face. Carlos still used that nickname he dubbed her back when they first met, but Jill never did seem to mind. In fact, it grew on her, as did he.

"Good. Then let's move this party to my bed," she told him, kissing the side of his mouth as she tried to get off the couch to walk herself to the bedroom. But, no sooner than those words left her lips, Carlos had hoisted her over his shoulder and was carrying her there himself. The brunette had started to squirm, telling him to put her down. Did he listen? No. But Jill wasn't complaining for too long before things became abundantly clear of what was going on, when she was tossed back onto the pillows.

There were definitely worse ways to be distracted from work, Jill considered. When it ended like this, she could almost seeing herself saying yes to doing it again tomorrow. Almost. But that was probably just the wine talking.